Pioneering Pollster Gordon Heald Dies

Gordon Heald, the social and political researcher who ran Gallup Poll in the UK from 1979-1994 and ORB International from 1994-2009, talked with popes and presidents, and came as near as anyone ever does to founding an MR dynasty, has died peacefully at his home aged 80.

He was born in 1941, the son of a waiter on the liners between Southampton and New York, and the proprietor of a 2-bedroom B&B next to the coach station in Bournemouth. He went to catholic school and Christ's College Cambridge where among others he met and 'plotted with' Sir Martin Sorrell.

Religion and faith were part of the Heald family DNA and Gordon ran numerous studies exploring changing religious attitudes, had an audience with Pope John Paul II on work he had carried out for the Vatican, and after being introduced to a young Jesuit priest from Washington DC worried about declining church attendances, helped establish and expand what is known today as the World Values Study.

Politics was 'a great love' of Gordon's and his 1980s rivalry with MORI's Bob Worcester was legendary. 'One would work for the Times, the other the Telegraph' says his son Johnny Heald. 'One would work with Labour, the other the Tories. Both would drop names like crazy in conversations. Dad had worked with [Margaret] Thatcher's team in the early eighties (and was in the Grand Hotel in Brighton at Lord Archer's party the evening the IRA detonated a bomb... luckily Mum had insisted they get home to make sure we weren't up to mischief as it was school the next day)'.

Internationally, he worked with eight heads of State including President Yeltsin, and famously met US President Ronald Reagan in 1988 while briefing a project on 'perceptions of US foreign policy' for what is now the US State Department / Office of Opinion Research. Papal and presidential photo opportunities were not missed - MrWeb's Nick Thomas sat in his office discussing a web site in the late '90s and not only observed a variety of framed examples but had the story behind each explained to him: 'in a way it was always hard and slightly disappointing to have to move on and talk business with Gordon as the stories were fascinating and the dropped names as big as they come'.

In 1991 Heald led a team with long-term friend Andy Kohut (later founder of PEW research) and future US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright - across Eastern Europe exploring attitudes towards democracy. During the tour, Heald and Albright had a scare when their vehicle careered off the road and into a field - as described in a short piece by Heald for a MrWeb feature publication a decade later.

Gallup was also a very significant part of his life, according to Johnny Heald. 'He had met Dr G Gallup Snr and been inspired by his teachings and vision. He subsequently became very close with George's children Alec and George Jnr. It was the growth of Gallup International which gave him this immense network of like-minded pollsters who shared many of the same issues. He'd come home from trips talking passionately about conversations with Dr Gilani in Islamabad, Marita Carballo from Argentina, Gary Morgan in Australia, Helene Riffault in France etc. He served on the Board of Gallup International and expanded the network across Eastern and Central Europe once the wall had fallen. Between 1990 and 1994 many of these institutions launched with Dad the European Commission's inaugural Central & Eastern Eurobarometer.'

Gordon Heald's evident enjoyment of his research career helped steer two of his three sons into the profession. Johnny joined the research industry in 1992, became a Director of Opinion Research Business (ORB) in 1998 and took over as MD in 2006, with a proud Gordon moving to the role of Chairman. His confidence has been justified by ORB's continuing high profile, including through its annual tracking survey of public opinion in Iraq, on the hazards of which Johnny spoke at the ESOMAR Conference in 2006. Johnny was elected to the Board of WIN/Gallup International, the worldwide association of independent market research and polling firms, in June 2015. His brother Tim Heald led the telephone unit at ORB from 1994, and joined pioneering panel business The iD Factor in June 2007 as Commercial Director. He also made Evening Standard headlines himself the following year, as well as 'poll' position in DRNO.

Johnny Heald says of his father: 'Among ground-breaking research what many who knew him well will remember was his sense of adventure and strong desire to enjoy it along the way. Although he held three degrees he was a joker until the end'. A series of reflections the sons put together for Gordon's retirement is available here and includes photos, stories and memories from big industry names and others.

Gordon is survived by his loving wife Christine who cared for him until the end; and by three sons and eight grandchildren.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.