Byron R. Johnson, Ph.D.

Our 2024-25 Newsmaker of the Year is Byron R. Johnson. Ph.D., director of Baylor University’s Institute for Global Human Flourishing and the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, recognizing his leadership in the Global Flourishing Study (GFS). Few research projects have captured global attention like the GFS – one of the most ambitious studies of human existence ever undertaken – and Johnson is at the heart of the groundbreaking effort.

The largest funded research project in Baylor history at $43.4 million, the University partnered with Harvard, Gallup and the Center for Open Science on the landmark longitudinal study of more than 200,000 participants in 20+ countries over a five-year period. The GFS first-wave findings have made worldwide news for reshaping our understanding of factors that enable individuals and societies to thrive across cultures and generations. Building on this momentum, Baylor launched the Institute for Global Human Flourishing, with Johnson at the helm, to ensure the research continues to inform communities throughout the world.

The study’s impact has been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times, National Geographic, Christianity Today, CNN, Fortune, Psychology Today,  the Texas Standard and more, underscoring the study’s significance. Nature, one of the world’s leading scientific journals, published 35 initial studies from the first wave of data – all freely available for researchers and the public worldwide, allowing for better use of the findings worldwide.

ABOUT BYRON R. JOHNSON, PH.D. 

Byron R. Johnson, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University and founding director of Baylor’s Institute for Global Human Flourishing and Institute for Studies of Religion. Johnson’s extensive research examines how religion impacts key behaviors like volunteerism, generosity and purpose. 

Johnson is project co-director (with Tyler J. VanderWeele) of the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), a five-year longitudinal data collection and research collaboration between researchers at Baylor and Harvard, in partnership with Gallup and the Center for Open Science. Johnson is a faculty affiliate of Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program, co-executive director of the Center for Faith and the Common Good at Pepperdine University, Visiting Distinguished Professor at Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy and co-founder of the Religious Freedom Institute, based in Washington, D.C.