John Zogby becomes first senior fellow

The Life Cycle Institute of The Catholic University of America recently announced the appointment of nationally known pollster and public opinion analyst John Zogby as its first senior fellow.

“Zogby, who is president and CEO of Zogby International, will deliver lectures, sponsor events and assist the institute in pursuing major grants”, says Stephen Schneck, institute director and chair of CUA’s Department of Politics. In addition, Zogby “will deposit at Catholic University the tremendous resource of his study of American ethnicity and values-an astonishing collection of polling data for the institute,” Schneck adds.

A worldwide polling organization which has polled in 65 countries, Zogby International is highly regarded for its analysis of American political trends. The firm also tracks American religious and ethnic opinion and is one of the few organizations actively polling in Middle Eastern countries.

“I’m absolutely delighted that John Zogby will be joining the institute,” says Schneck. “John’s presence reflects well on the emerging prominence of the institute and serves as a boon to us in many practical regards. His appointment marks a milestone in the development of the institute as a national center for public policy and Catholic social thought.”

Founded in 1974, the Life Cycle Institute provides a place of interdisciplinary study and support for 26 senior, full, associate and visiting fellows, in addition to graduate students and post-graduate scholars. The institute has begun a multi-year transition toward becoming a national center for research concerning public policies central to Catholic social thought. Institute research will focus increasingly on economic justice, family and children’s welfare, values, education, culture of life, health care, immigration, bioethics, racial equality and issues involving religion and society.

Zogby’s track record has earned him the unofficial title of “champion pollster” by Christian Science Monitor columnist Godfrey Sperling. His political polling gained international attention in the 1990s, and continues today. Polls conducted by Zogby in the weeks before the 2000 elections foretold a tightening of the presidential race while nearly all other pollsters projected an easy victory for then-Gov. George W. Bush. Zogby International polls in 65 nations around the globe, and is on the cutting edge of new, proven survey technology, including interactive online polling.

In the past, Zogby has worked closely with CUA Professor of Politics John Kenneth White, also an institute fellow, who has written extensively about presidential elections, the impact of values on the American electorate and the American political party system.