Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Barack Obama’s favorability rating is much higher than those of his predecessors just before they were sworn in. While both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush enjoyed robust favorability ratings on the eve of their inaugurations, neither of their measures matches Obama’s current mark. Nearly eight-in-ten Americans (79%) view the president-elect favorably; that compares with […]
Bloggers and the mainstream media alike focused intently on one storyline last week. In its maiden edition, PEJ’s “New Media Index” examines the most discussed news on blogs, user news sites, and other social media and compares it to the mainstream media.
It wasn’t much of a honeymoon, at least so far. And nowhere did the discussion of the economic crisis and the new Administration seem to beat up the President more roundly than in the studios of cable talk shows and, of course, on the radio.
Public’s Forecast: Reduced Partisanship As Barack Obama prepares to take office, half of the public (50%) thinks that Republicans and Democrats in Washington will work together more to solve problems in the coming year, while 39% say they will bicker and oppose each other more than usual. The public is more optimistic on this measure […]
Summary of Findings News reports last week about the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas competed for public attention with stories about the U.S. financial crisis and the Obama presidential transition. Roughly three-in-ten (28%) paid very close attention to news about renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip, while 18% say this was the single news […]