How big of a problem is food waste in the United States, and how much are we wasting? What causes us to waste food? Are we taking the wrong messages from expiration dates? And could waste have broader consequences than many are aware of? MITRE’s Dr. Laura Leets, senior principal social scientist, and Dr. Jay Schnitzer, senior vice president, corporate chief engineer and chief medical officer, join the podcast to discuss the latest report from MITRE and Gallup, The State of Food Waste in America.

Countries around the world have tried to combat a growing global mental health crisis. And while many strategies have been examined, the relationship between mental health and spirituality, religion or faith has been largely underexplored. Aaron Sherinian, CEO of Radiant Foundation, and Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup, join the podcast to discuss a new report from Gallup and Radiant Foundation, Faith & Wellness: The Worldwide Connection Between Spirituality & Wellbeing.

Social needs are universal. While most people feel socially connected, the experience of social connection varies greatly across the world. The Meta-Gallup State of Social Connections report sheds new light on global connectedness and loneliness -- and its impact on people’s wellbeing. Dr. Anya Drabkin, senior researcher for social impact at Meta, and Dr. Telli Davoodi, Gallup senior consultant and analyst, join the podcast to discuss the new findings on whom people form social relationships with, their experiences with loneliness and how the world’s youth are faring in their social connections.

The Israel-Hamas war has upended life for millions in the Mideast. Gallup’s surveys in Gaza right before the war shed light on a population whose vulnerability predates the recent conflict. Jay Loschky, Gallup’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, joins the podcast to discuss what Gallup learned in interviews that concluded the week before Hamas launched an attack on Israel.

Americans believe that businesses possess the power to influence people’s lives -- but they don’t necessarily trust businesses to wield this power responsibly. So how should businesses navigate the many hot-button, highly politicized issues in U.S. society? And what implications does this have on organizations’ ability to recruit and retain talent? Zach Hrynowski, Gallup research consultant, joins the podcast to discuss these findings and more from the Bentley-Gallup Business in Society study.

This week, as labor unions continue to enjoy high support in the U.S., we return to a conversation we had last year with two labor experts on the "exciting and interesting moment" organized labor is experiencing. Dr. Thomas A. Kochan, George Maverick Bunker Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Dr. Harry C. Katz, Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining at the ILR School at Cornell University, join the podcast to offer their expert insights.

A large majority of Americans don’t have confidence in business to use AI responsibly. What can businesses do to build trust with customers and educate the public about AI as a force for good? Dr. Noah Giansiracusa, associate professor of mathematical sciences at Bentley University, joins the podcast to discuss how transparency can be key to businesses responsibly adopting AI, and how young Americans’ greater optimism about AI presents an opportunity for the future.

New research from the Wellbeing for Planet Earth (WPE) Foundation in collaboration with Gallup suggests people can feel at peace, even if the world around them is not. Tim Lomas, a senior researcher for the WPE Foundation, and Telli Davoodi, a senior consultant and social scientist at Gallup, join the podcast to discuss a new, expansive view of wellbeing.

Gen Z reports greater levels of anxiety, stress, sadness and loneliness than older generations of Americans do, according to the latest report from Gallup and Walton Family Foundation (WFF), “Voices of Gen Z: Perspectives on U.S. Education, Wellbeing and the Future.” In fact, Gen Z is struggling with mental wellbeing today at much higher rates than U.S. millennials did at the same ages. The findings show this can negatively impact Gen Z’s engagement in the classroom. How can school become a place that unlocks students’ purpose? And how can educators create better systems and structures to support students? Romy Drucker, director of the Education Program at WFF, joins the podcast to discuss the findings from the new report.

Kristen Lipton, managing director at Gallup and host of “Thriving,” joins to discuss Gallup’s new podcast on the state of the global workplace. Lipton unpacks Gallup’s decades-long research on engagement, culture, remote work and more. Subscribe to “Thriving” wherever you get your podcasts.