Gregory A. Smith

Senior Researcher

Gregory A. Smith is a senior researcher at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, specializing in survey research, religion and public opinion, religion and American politics and Catholic politics. Greg holds a Ph.D. in government from the University of Virginia. His doctoral dissertation on the influence of priests on the voting behavior and political attitudes of American Catholics won the 2006 Aaron Wildavsky Award, which is given by the American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in religion and politics. His book, Politics in the Parish: The Political Influence of Catholic Priests, was published by Georgetown University Press in 2008.

Previously, Greg was a fellow at the University of Virginia Center on Religion and Democracy. Greg is also a contributor to the Encyclopedia of American Political Parties and Elections. His work has appeared in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion and has been presented at national and regional conferences.