George Gallup and Ralph Nafziger: Pioneers of Audience Research

Abstract

In keeping with end-of-century biographies of great leaders, this essay traces the careers of opinion pollster George Gallup and journalism educator Ralph Nafziger. They inadvertently overlapped in 1930, by publishing the first Journalism Quarterly articles on newspaper readers. Gallup became internationally recognized as creator of the Gallup Poll and other media audience enterprises. He invented some standard questions that are used in academic as well as commercial research today, and "a new form of journalism" built around public opinion on current events. Nafziger, as a professor and administrator, built research centers and graduate programs in 2 leading journalism schools. He was central to the establishment of research as an integral component within education for journalism and mass communication.