John Zogby | |
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Born | 1948 (age 68–69) Utica, New York |
Occupation | Public opinion pollster |
John Zogby (born 1948), founder of the "Zogby Poll", is an American public opinion pollster, author, and public speaker.
Zogby grew up in Utica, New York, the son of Lebanese Catholic immigrants. His brother, James Zogby, is the founder of the Arab American Institute.
Zogby received a Bachelor's degree in history from Le Moyne College in 1970 and a Master's degree in history from Syracuse University in 1973. He taught history and political science for 24 years. A trustee of Le Moyne College, Zogby received the Alumni Award in June 2000. In 2005, he was awarded Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the State University of New York and the Graduate School of Union University. In 2009, Zogby received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the College of St. Rose. In 2008 he was awarded the Chancellor's Distinguished Fellows Award from the University of California Irvine.
Zogby ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Utica, New York, in 1981. He is described as a Democrat. He served on the advisory council for Bio-Technology for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and as a Commissioner on the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Smart Power. He previously served on the congressional-created Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World.
Zogby founded the polling firm Zogby International in 1984. He has conducted polls and focus groups throughout the world, including the polling of Arab attitudes toward the U.S.
Zogby first gained attention in the 1992 presidential election when he released a survey showing the New York State Governor Mario Cuomo would lose in his home state to incumbent President George H. W. Bush. That poll is widely thought to have pushed Cuomo from the race. Zogby gained more national attention in the 1996 presidential election when his final poll came within a tenth of a point of the actual result. Zogby also correctly polled the cliffhanger result of the 2000 presidential election won narrowly by George W. Bush, in contrast to most other pollsters who had expected Bush to win easily.