---
title: "Final Topline and Methodology"
description: "Audience Interest By Question   How interested are you in news reports on the following topics?     Very Interested Somewhat Interested Not Too Interested Not At All Interested Don’t Know/ Refused 1 Issues and activities in local government and politics     34 46 8 11 1 2 Issues and activities in state government […]"
date: "2002-10-22"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center: Journalism & Media staff"
    job_title: "Guest Contributor"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2002/10/22/final-topline-and-methodology/"
---

# Final Topline and Methodology

**Audience Interest By Question**

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|   | How interested are you in news reports on the following topics? |   |   | Very Interested | Somewhat Interested | Not Too Interested | Not At All Interested | Don't Know/ Refused |

| 1 | Issues and activities in local government and politics |   |   | 34 | 46 | 8 | 11 | 1 |

| 2 | Issues and activities in state government and politics |   |   | 29 | 48 | 11 | 10 | 2 |

| 3 | Issues and activities in national government and politics |   |   | 36 | 43 | 9 | 11 | 1 |

| 4 | What can be done to improve the performance of local schools |   |   | 62 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 1 |

| 5 | What can be done to reduce health care costs |   |   | 63 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 1 |

| 6 | What can be done to ensure that public places are safe from terrorism |   |   | 66 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 1 |

| 7 | What government can do to improve the performance of local schools |   |   | 59 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 1 |

| 8 | What government can do to reduce health care costs |   |   | 64 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 1 |

| 9 | What government can do to ensure that public places are safe from terrorism |   |   | 67 | 25 | 4 | 3 | 2 |

| 10 | What ideas political candidates have to improve the performance of local schools |   |   | 55 | 32 | 6 | 7 | 0 |

| 11 | What ideas political candidates have to reduce health care costs |   |   | 53 | 36 | 6 | 4 | 1 |

| 12 | What ideas political candidates have to ensure that public places are safe from terrorism |   |   | 60 | 31 | 5 | 3 | 1 |

**Methodology**

Results for the survey are based on telephone interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates among a nationwide sample of 1,005 adults, 18 years of age or older, during the period May 6-16, 2002. Based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. For items on Form A (questions 1-3; N=249), Form B (questions 4-6; N=256), Form C (questions 7-9; N=258) or Form D (questions 10-12; N=239) the sampling error is plus or minus 7 percentage points.