Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Summary of Findings Americans closely tracked the final stages of the long-running debate over health care reform legislation last week as the story dominated media coverage. More than half (53%) of the public says the debate was the story they followed most closely, while the story was the focus of 37% of news coverage. Half […]
Summary of Findings Americans continued to track news about the new health care law more closely than any other major story last week, though the media devoted the most attention to the deadly explosion in a West Virginia coal mine—and just 3% of coverage to health care reform. A third of the public (33%) says […]
Summary of Findings As Americans continue to track the debate over health care reform closely, a growing minority – now 39% – says they think health care legislation will pass this year. Just before the Feb. 25 bipartisan summit at the White House to discuss the stymied legislation, 27% said they thought a bill would […]
A tragic mine explosion in West Virginia led the news last week, with about twice the amount of coverage given to the next biggest story: the still-ailing U.S. economy.
Summary of Findings Americans say the two news stories they followed most closely last week were the reinvigorated debate over health care reform in Washington and the second week of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In interviews shortly after the Feb. 25 bipartisan summit on health care legislation, a quarter of the public (25%) says […]
Summary of Findings Americans say they tracked news about the newly enacted health care reform law more closely than other major news stories last week, though the health care debate did not dominate coverage as it had during the final votes in Congress late last month. Close to half the public (48%) followed news about […]
News meets a mixture of social, civic, personally-enriching, and work-related needs in people’s lives. The 93% of Americans who say they follow the news at least occasionally report a variety of reasons for doing so. Surprisingly, the most popular reasons for following the news do not relate to personal entertainment or professional motivations. Instead, they […]
The top reasons people follow the news News meets a mixture of social, civic, personally-enriching, and work-related needs in people’s lives. The 93% of Americans who say they follow the news at least occasionally report a variety of reasons for doing so. Surprisingly, the most popular reasons for following the news do not relate to […]
The controversial immigration law in Arizona sparked significant interest in the blogosphere last week, as it did in the mainstream media. But the social media also focused intently on a story that was largely absent in the MSM—the question of whether we on earth should consider E.T. a friend or foe.
As the health care bill neared passage in the House last week, it was by far the most popular topic on blogs, stirring a passionate and sometimes angry debate. On Twitter, a number of technology-focused stories led the way. And on YouTube, Jesse Ventura’s view on conspiracy theories was among the most popular videos.