---
title: "Topline"
description: "Character Study Topline   Total ALL BUSH (n=585) ALL GORE (n=745) Bush Family (n=89) Bush Intellect (n=176) Bush Different (n=320) Gore Lies (n=269) Gore Scandal (n=344) Gore Comp. (n=132) Medium Newspapers 60% 63% 58% 59% 64% 64% 60% 52% 69% Television 30 27% 33% 21 25 29 28 41 24 Evening News 11 10 13 […]"
date: "2000-07-27"
authors:
  - name: "Benjamin Wormald"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2000/07/27/topline-36/"
---

# Topline

Character Study Topline

|   | Total | ALLBUSH(n=585) | ALLGORE(n=745) | BushFamily(n=89) | BushIntellect(n=176) | BushDifferent(n=320) | GoreLies(n=269) | GoreScandal(n=344) | GoreComp.(n=132) |
****
| Medium |

| Newspapers | 60% | 63% | 58% | 59% | 64% | 64% | 60% | 52% | 69% |

| Television | 30 | 27% | 33% | 21 | 25 | 29 | 28 | 41 | 24 |
**
| Evening News | 11 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 16 |
**
| Morning Shows | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
**
| Sunday Shows | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
**
| Prime T. Talk | 12 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 4 |

| Internet | 10 | 10 | 9 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 7 |
****************************************
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |

|   | Total | ALLBUSH(n=585) | ALLGORE(n=745) | BushFamily(n=89) | BushIntellect(n=176) | BushDifferent(n=320) | GoreLies(n=269) | GoreScandal(n=344) | GoreComp.(n=132) |
****
| Story Type |

| News Story | 51% | 48% | 53% | 47% | 45% | 49% | 62% | 44% | 63% |

| Op-ed | 9 | 14 | 6 | 26 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 7 |

| Editorial | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 7 |

| Analysis | 30 | 35 | 27 | 24 | 38 | 37 | 19 | 34 | 22 |

| Candidate Int. | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
****************************************
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |

|   | Total | ALLBUSH(n=585) | ALLGORE(n=745) | BushFamily(n=89) | BushIntellect(n=176) | BushDifferent(n=320) | GoreLies(n=269) | GoreScandal(n=344) | GoreComp.(n=132) |
****
| Source |

| Journalist | 50% | 57% | 44% | 64% | 57% | 54% | 39% | 50% | 41% |

| Analysis | 40 | 42 | 38 | 30 | 41 | 45 | 33 | 46 | 28 |

| Opinion | 10 | 15 | 6 | 34 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 13 |

| Voter | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 5 | * | 6 |

| Expert | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 5 |

| Camp. Surrogate | 12 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 22 |

| Candidate | 25 | 19 | 30 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 35 | 28 | 24 |

| Other Media | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |

| Other | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
****************************************
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |

|   | Total | ALLBUSH(n=585) | ALLGORE(n=745) | BushFamily(n=89) | BushIntellect(n=176) | BushDifferent(n=320) | GoreLies(n=269) | GoreScandal(n=344) | GoreComp.(n=132) |
****
| Evidence |

| Voter Interaction | 3% | 6% | 1% | 5% | 7% | 5% | 1% | *% | 5% |

| Public Record | 31 | 11 | 46 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 35 | 64 | 21 |

| Recent Remarks | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 1 |

| Camp. Platform | 9 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 12 |

| Tactics/Rhetoric | 13 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 19 |

| Opponent Attack | 8 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 18 | 8 | 2 |

| Friends' Remarks | 1 | 3 | * | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | * | 2 |

| Past Personal Life | 2 | 5 | * | 15 | 7 | 1 | * | 0 | 1 |

| Poll | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |

| Other | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 |

| No Evidence | 19 | 25 | 15 | 52 | 31 | 14 | 16 | 10 | 24 |
****************************************
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |

|   | Total | ALLBUSH(n=585) | ALLGORE(n=745) | BushFamily(n=89) | BushIntellect(n=176) | BushDifferent(n=320) | GoreLies(n=269) | GoreScandal(n=344) | GoreComp.(n=132) |
****
| Context |

| Tactics/strategy | 45% | 36% | 52% | 33% | 26% | 42% | 64% | 50% | 37% |

| Leadership | 29 | 28 | 29 | 9 | 45 | 24 | 23 | 31 | 34 |

| Electability | 6 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 5 |

| Rebuttals | 17 | 24 | 10 | 33 | 12 | 29 | 5 | 10 | 24 |

| Other | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 6 | * | 2 | 6 | 0 |
****************************************
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |

|   | Total | ALLBUSH(n=585) | ALLGORE(n=745) | BushFamily(n=89) | BushIntellect(n=176) | BushDifferent(n=320) | GoreLies(n=269) | GoreScandal(n=344) | GoreComp.(n=132) |
****
| Timing |

| February | 23% | 28% | 19% | 44% | 14% | 31% | 18% | 21% | 15% |

| March | 37 | 25 | 47 | 29 | 32 | 20 | 43 | 57 | 31 |

| April | 16 | 21 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 29 | 14 | 7 | 17 |

| May | 8 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 14 |

| June | 16 | 14 | 17 | 9 | 24 | 10 | 16 | 15 | 23 |
****************************************
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |