Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News
Most people believe Americans have a civic responsibility to be informed when they vote. But far fewer say regularly following news is extremely or very important.
News Habits & Media
Young Adults and the Future of News
Majority of Americans express low confidence in journalists to act in public’s best interests
Sign up for The Briefing
Weekly updates on the world of news & information
All
News Habits & Media
Publications
-
Fewer Journalists Stand Out in Fragmented News Universe
Summary of Findings Reflecting today’s fragmented news landscape, about half of the public offers no specific answer when asked to name the journalist or newsperson they most admire. No journalist is named by more than 5% of the public in response to an open-ended question. While individual mentions are few, the most frequently named journalists […]
-
Public Focuses More on Economy than Election
Summary of Findings The 2010 congressional elections dominated news coverage last week, but not the public’s attention. Americans continued to focus most closely on news about the nation’s struggling economy and about four-in-ten (39%) say news reports portray the economy “about the way it really is.” Smaller, roughly equal percentages say the media make the […]
-
An Obama Quote Stokes the Blogosphere
Conservative bloggers last week expressed outrage over a passage from Bob Woodward’s new book. Tweeters were galvanized by a security flaw on Twitter. And YouTube viewers were interested in some provocative statements a GOP Senate candidate made on television more than a decade ago.
-
Elections Dominate Coverage, Not Public Interest
Summary of Findings While the 2010 midterm congressional elections dominated media coverage last week, the public focused more on news about the nation’s struggling economy. Nearly a quarter (23%) of the public says they followed news about the economy more closely than any other major story. Just 6% say they followed news about this year’s […]
-
When Technology Makes Headlines
The mainstream media offer the American public a divided view of how information technology influences society, according to a new PEJ study. Messages such as technology making life easier often vie with concerns about privacy and safety. How do the media portray technology? Which companies get the most coverage? Do social media and blogs treat the subject differently than traditional media? A year-long study of technology coverage answers these and other questions.
-
2010 Vote Seen as More Important Than Most
Summary of Findings About two-thirds of the public sees coverage of this year’s elections as focused primarily on strategy and conflict rather than candidate positions, while a comparable percentage says the 2010 congressional elections are more important than most. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) say news coverage of politics makes them angry. Still, few (36%) say election […]
-
Koran Burning Plans Grab Media, Public Attention
Summary of Findings As the nation marked the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks last week, many in the public and the media focused more on current tensions over Islam in America – most notably plans by a Florida pastor to burn copies of the Koran. Nearly two-in-ten (17%) say they followed the […]
-
Americans Spending More Time Following the News
Overview There are many more ways to get the news these days, and as a consequence Americans are spending more time with the news than over much of the past decade. Digital platforms are playing a larger role in news consumption, and they seem to be more than making up for modest declines in the […]
REfine Your Selection
Date
Years
Formats
Regions & Countries
Research Teams
Authors
Signature Reports
How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age
U.S. adults largely value journalists’ role in society but see their influence declining – and they differ over what a journalist is.
The Political Gap in Americans’ News Sources
Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to both use and trust many major news sources.
Most Americans Say They Are Tuned In to News About the Trump Administration
Far fewer are hearing about the administration’s relationship with the media than was the case early in President Donald Trump’s first term.
America’s News Influencers
This study explores the makeup of the social media news influencer universe, including who they are, what content they create and who their audiences are.
