Director of International Survey Research
jbell@pewforum.org
James Bell is the director of
international survey research at the Pew Research Center. He plays a
leading role in guiding the international research undertaken by the Pew
Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life and Pew Research Center’s
Global Attitudes Project. Jim helps to design survey projects, develop
questionnaires and analyze data.
Prior to joining the Pew Research
Center, Jim worked at the U.S. State Department for nearly a decade, most
recently serving as director of opinion research. In this position, he briefed
senior policymakers at the White House and across the executive branch, as well
as Congress and constituent audiences. As the U.S. government’s leading expert
on foreign public opinion research, Jim oversaw both mass and elite surveys
around the globe on a variety of topics. His experience spans both developed
and developing countries and includes work in challenging locations, such as
Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to quantitative analysis, Jim is
well-versed in qualitative research techniques.
Before arriving at the State Department, Jim was a
post-doctoral fellow at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where he conducted
survey research on political change in Russia and Ukraine. Jim earned his
doctorate in geography from the University of Washington in Seattle in
1997. He earned his master’s degree from the same program in 1990 and
completed a double B.A. in geography and Russian area studies from Syracuse
University in 1986.