One-in-Ten ‘Dual-Screened’ the Presidential Debate
More than half of America watched the first presidential debate live, including 11% who were “dual screeners,” following coverage on a computer or mobile device while also following television coverage.
Broad Support for Photo ID Voting Requirements
Proposals to require voters to show photo identification before being allowed to vote draw overwhelming support. By 77% to 20%, voters favor a requirement that those voting be required to show photo ID. Opinion about this is little changed from six years ago, when 80% of voters supported voter photo ID requirements.
Biden Viewed Unfavorably, Divided Opinions about Ryan
Ahead of Thursday’s vice presidential debate, more voters have an unfavorable view of Joe Biden, while opinions about Paul Ryan are evenly divided.
Public Less Negative About Economic News
Americans are hearing less negative news about the nation’s economy than they were just a month ago. Perceptions of news about the job situation have improved across partisan lines.
Many Voters Use Cell Phones to Follow Election, Participate in Politics
As of late September, 88% of registered voters own a cell phone of some kind-and significant numbers of these voters are using their mobile devices to get information about the 2012 election, to interact with the campaigns, and to converse with other voters about political issues: 27% of registered voters who own a cell phone [...]
With Strong Debate Performance, Romney Erases Obama’s Lead
Mitt Romney no longer trails Barack Obama in Pew Research Center polling. Voters say Romney did a better job than Obama in the Oct. 3 debate. Romney is now better regarded on most personal dimensions and most issues than he was in September.
Obama Expected to Win First Presidential Debate
Heading into Wednesday’s first presidential debate, voters expect that Barack Obama will do a better job than Mitt Romney. About half (51%) say Obama will do the better job in the debate, while 29% say Romney will. Most voters plan to watch
Romney’s ’47%’ Comments Criticized, But Many Also Say Overcovered
Fully two-thirds of voters (67%) correctly identify Mitt Romney as the candidate who said 47% of the public is dependent on government and more than half of them (55%) have a negative reaction.
Youth Engagement Falls; Registration Also Declines
Young voters are significantly less engaged in this year’s election than at a comparable point in 2008 and now lag far behind older voters in interest in the campaign and intention to vote.
In Changing News Landscape, Even Television Is Vulnerable
There are signs that television news — like the print news sources before it — may be losing its hold on the next generation of news consumers. Online and digital news consumption continues to increase, driven by expanding use of mobile devices and the rise of social networking sites.




