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Andrew Kohut

President, The Pew Research Center

Andrew Kohut is the president of the Pew Research Center. He also acts as director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press (formerly the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press) and the Pew Global Attitudes Project. He was President of The Gallup Organization from 1979 to 1989. In 1989, he founded Princeton Survey Research Associates, an attitude and opinion research firm specializing in media, politics, and public policy studies. He served as founding director of surveys for the Times Mirror Center 1990-1992, and was named its Director in 1993. He is a past president of American Association of Public Opinion Research and the National Council on Public Polls. In 2005, he received the American Association of Public Opinion Research's highest honor, the Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement. He is a frequent press commentator on the meaning and interpretation of opinion poll results and the co-author of four books, including, mostly recently, America Against the World (Times Books). He received an A.B. degree from Seton Hall University in 1964 and studied graduate sociology at Rutgers, the State University, from 1964 to 1966.

Who Are the Happiest People in the World?

The rich are always more satisfied with life, Kohut says.

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Is religiosity on the wane in Amerca?

America is the only religious country in the world that is rich as well, Kohut says.

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How does the world see America?

Americans are not only disliked, Kohut says, we are hated because of our policies.

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What is your question?

Andrew Kohut wonders how we can help American society to make it stronger.

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What is your counsel?

We can choose among an increasing array of information sources, Kohut says.

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What is your outlook?

Kohut says it’s hard to be sanguine in light of the way things are going.

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Technological progress, the development of democracy and the value of freedom of expression have all shaped humanity, Kohut says.

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How has Iraq changed American perceptions of war?

A pragmatic nation reconsiders how it uses force.

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Are American values changing?

Americans are becoming more socially liberal and less trusting of government, Kohut says.

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What’s the matter with media?

The way in which we assess information has changed so much with the advent of the Internet that traditional media outlets are taking it on the chin, Kohut says.

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The Growing Income Gap

Capitalism should let the rich get rich and let the poor get a little richer too, Kohut says.

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Does race still matter?

There is still a sizeable population of alienated and marginalized African-Americans, Kohut says.

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How do we decide who gets to be an American?

We are the only country that has the capacity to take in people and “make them American,” Kohut says.

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Is the American political system broken?

Kohut is deeply concerned by a lack of moderation in our political landscape.

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What forces have shaped America?

According to Kohut’s polls, the most important influence on the US today is “the system.”

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Why does polling matter?

By quantitatively assessing public opinions, Kohut’s polls give a voice to people who aren’t normally heard.

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What inspires you?

Polling, Kohut says, is both an art and a science.

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What do you do?

Kohut talks about all things poll-related.

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Are two parties enough?

Third-party candidates usuaully don’t have a viable party to back them, Kohut says.

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How will this age be remembered?

This was a time when we struggled with faltering world leadership, economic development, and the ascendance of technology.

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What should be the big issues of the 2008 presidential election?

The retiring President’s legacy is always a subject of debate, Kohut says.

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What is the world’s greatest challenge in the coming decade?

Kohut’s polls show that our concern for the environment is finally catching up with worries over weapons, hunger and poverty.

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We are a politically, economically, racially polarized country, Kohut says.

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What do you believe?

Kohut has a philosophy of keeping his own philosophy out of the way.

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How do you contribute?

Creating snapshots of how ordinary people feel about the big issues is Kohut’s mission.

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In college Kohut was drawn to the idea that attitudes, opinions, and personality types could be measured.

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