2010-04-27-皮尤-Economy,_Volcanic_Ash_Top_News_Interest_11页_55kb

Public Interest in Economy and Financial Regulation (April 28, 2010)

Key Findings

• Most Americans (24%) closely followed news about the economy, while 20% tracked reports on travel disruptions from the Iceland volcano ash.
• Financial regulatory proposals drew attention from 9% of the public, and debate made up 14% of media coverage.
• Together, economy and financial regulation accounted for 27% of news coverage.

Public Opinions on Bailout Payback

• Regarding government bailout funds to banks, 57% of Americans said only some money has been paid back, with 17% saying most and just 2% saying all.
• For U.S. automakers, 50% said only some funds were repaid, 18% said most, and 15% said none.

News Interest Highlights

• The volcano ash caused greater personal attention than other stories, with 23% closely following it.
• Specific events like the Gulf oil rig explosion and Vatican abuse scandal had lower interest.
• Wealthier individuals were more likely to follow stories like the Goldman Sachs lawsuit.

This summary is based on the Pew Research Center's News Interest Index survey from April 23-26, 2010, among 1,008 adults.