2008-11-24-皮尤-Public_Closely_Tracking_Obama_Transition_11页_55kb

Michelle Obama Coverage and Public Interest Summary

Core Content

This document presents findings from the Pew Research Center's News Interest Index, highlighting public attention and perception of news stories related to the Obama transition, economic developments, and other major events in late 2008. It includes data from a survey of 1,007 adults conducted from November 21-24, 2008.

Main Points

• Obama Transition Attention:

  • 49% of Americans followed news about the Obama administration closely.
  • 25% said this was the most closely followed news story of the week, behind the economy.
  • Public attention to Obama's cabinet and staff appointments is high, with 50% hearing a lot about these choices.
  • 62% have heard a lot about the possibility of Hillary Clinton being appointed as Secretary of State.

• Michelle Obama's Public Perception:

  • 66% of those who have heard about Michelle Obama say the news has been mostly positive, up from 21% in June 2008.
  • 28% say it's a mix of positive and negative news, and 3% say it's mostly negative.
  • Republicans, who previously had the most negative perception, now align with Democrats and independents in viewing the coverage positively.

• Economic News Interest:

  • 59% followed the economy very closely, making it the top news story of the week.
  • 50% followed stock market news closely, slightly less than the previous week.
  • 41% closely followed the debate over the auto industry bailout, up from 30% the previous week.
  • Higher-income individuals (over $75,000) are more likely to follow economic news compared to lower-income groups.

• Other News Stories:

  • 32% followed the situation in Iraq closely, but only 5% listed it as their most closely followed story.
  • 19% followed news about Somali pirates hijacking a Saudi Arabian supertanker.
  • The media coverage of these stories was significantly less than public interest in economic matters.

Key Information

• News Interest vs. Coverage:

  • While the public is most interested in economic news, the media devotes a smaller proportion of coverage to it compared to other topics.
  • The economy and the auto industry received equal attention from the media, at 15% each.
  • The stock market received 2% of the media's coverage.

• Survey Methodology:

  • The survey was conducted by ORC and has a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points for the total sample.
  • Data is collected from a nationally representative sample of adults.
  • The News Interest Index is conducted in conjunction with the News Coverage Index by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Conclusion

The document reflects a shift in public perception of Michelle Obama's coverage from negative to positive, while maintaining high interest in economic news. It also highlights the disparity between public interest and media coverage, with economic issues receiving the most attention from the public, but not the most from the media.