Gallup and The Art of Living Launch First-of-Its-Kind Global Study on Meditation and Wellbeing

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gallup and The Art of Living announced today a global study that will create a first-of-its-kind dataset on meditation and wellbeing. The announcement comes ahead of the United Nations-designated World Meditation Day on Dec. 21, underscoring international interest in understanding how people meditate and why it matters.

Through this collaboration, Gallup will incorporate new meditation questions into the World Poll, enabling global comparisons related to practice and connections to emotional health and wellbeing. The effort brings together Gallup's long-standing expertise in worldwide survey research and The Art of Living's presence in more than 180 countries.

Gallup's findings highlight a clear global need for scalable approaches that support wellbeing. The State of the World's Emotional Health 2025 report reveals that negative emotions remain elevated worldwide, with 39% of adults reporting worry and 37% reporting stress — levels higher than those observed a decade ago. Since 2005, the Gallup World Poll has surveyed the world's adult population through nearly 4 million interviews across more than 140 countries, providing a scientific window into people's lives and uniquely positioning Gallup to measure meditation on a global scale.

A Milestone Collaboration for Global Wellbeing

"Despite substantial global investment in wellbeing and mental health, the world still lacks enough reliable data on how people engage with meditation and how these experiences shape daily life," said Ilana Ron Levey, managing director at Gallup. "This study will give leaders evidence they can use to understand meditation's role in people's lives."

The collaboration draws on The Art of Living's decades of experience empowering individuals and communities through meditation, yoga and evidence-informed breathing techniques.

"For the first time, large-scale research is beginning to systematically examine meditation's role in everyday life," said Rob Trombold, president of The Art of Living. "This study signals an important step toward understanding wellbeing not as an abstract ideal, but as something that can be observed, measured and strengthened across societies."

Advancing Global Measurement of Meditation

By integrating new meditation questions into the World Poll, Gallup will examine these responses alongside established indicators of wellbeing, offering insight into how meditation fits into people's daily lives across emotional, social and life-evaluation domains.

Gallup and The Art of Living will also explore how meditation practices vary across regions, cultures and demographic groups, and how these practices relate to broader aspects of daily life. The resulting dataset will provide a foundation for researchers, policymakers and community leaders seeking to better understand meditation's role in supporting wellbeing around the world.

Global Results Coming in December 2026

International bodies such as the United Nations note that meditation can benefit health and wellbeing worldwide. On Dec. 21, the official observance of the United Nation's celebration of World Meditation Day, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living Foundation and a globally recognized humanitarian and spiritual leader, will lead an in-person and online meditation event from New York City. The initiative, publicly announced by The Art of Living, aims to bring people together for collective reflection and peace.

A year later, following data collection and analysis, Gallup will release the study's findings on World Meditation Day in December 2026, providing a coordinated global view of how people practice and experience meditation. The results will help educators, community and business leaders, governments, and health systems inform wellbeing strategies.

ABOUT GALLUP

Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 90 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of the world's constituents than any other organization.

ABOUT THE ART OF LIVING

Operating in 182 countries and founded in 1981 by humanitarian and spiritual teacher Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, The Art of Living has helped millions cultivate peace of mind through yoga, breathwork, meditation and ancient wisdom tailored for modern life.

Media Contact:
Gallup
Riada Asimovic Akyol
[email protected]

SOURCE Gallup, Inc.