National Advisory Council: 2006
For more than 35 years, Peter Hart has been one of the leading analysts of public opinion in the United States. Since 1971, he has directed Peter D. Hart Research Associates, which has conducted more than 6000 public opinion surveys that have included interviews among more than five million individuals. Hart Research also has undertaken more than 5000 focus group sessions. Mr. Hart currently serves as Chairman of Hart Research and as Senior Counselor to the McGinn Group.
Mr. Hart built his reputation on his successful work in politics, working for more than 30 U.S. senators and 30 governors, but his focus over the last 20 years has been on public policy, cultural and social issues, and strategic consulting work for corporations. Corporate clients have included Boeing, Time Warner, American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, AT&T, and Tiffany and Company. His work in the non-profit field includes research for Habitat for Humanity, the ACLU, The Smithsonian Institution, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Internationally, Mr. Hart has conducted studies in South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Over the past decade, Mr. Hart has taught courses in public policy at Duke University's Sanford Institute of Public Policy, the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, and at UC Berkeley.
Mr. Hart appears frequently on major television programs that discuss public policy issues, including "Meet the Press," "The Today Show," and "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." In 1989, along with Robert Teeter, Mr. Hart was selected by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal to conduct their public opinion polling.
Mr. Hart was raised in Berkeley and his father served as the director of the Bancroft Library.
