A special Gallup summit was held on February 16, 2012, in Washington, D.C. Leading experts discussed the growing evidence of a relationship between religion, wellbeing, and health. Dr. Frank Newport, Gallup Editor in Chief, and Dr. Robert Putnam, Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, led the summit. They were be joined by Dr. Jim Harter, Chief Scientist, Workplace Management and Wellbeing at Gallup; Dr. Angus Deaton, Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of International Affairs and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University; and Dr. Chaeyoon Lim, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin.

You may watch a video of the Gallup summit from the links on the right-hand side of this page.

The experts discussed significant evidence linking religiousness and wellbeing and health, both in the U.S. and internationally. The experts also discussed the potential impact that increased levels of religiosity could have on wellbeing and health and, in the case of the U.S., healthcare costs.

The two-hour summit was divided into four parts:

• summary of the current research exploring the link between religion and wellbeing, including what we know and what we don't yet know
• discussion of the current best understanding of the mechanisms that explain the observed relationships between religion and wellbeing
• discussion of ways this information might be used to increase wellbeing and health, and in turn, potentially lower health care costs
• conclusions and discussion of implications

For an in-depth review of the research, please visit the summit research webpage.