2011-11-14-皮尤-Fewer_Hearing_Mostly_Bad_News_about_Economy_21页_129kb

Summary of the 2011 Pew Research Center News Interest Index Report

Core Content

The report, released on November 15, 2011, presents findings from the Pew Research Center's weekly News Interest Index survey, conducted from November 10-13, 2011, among 1,000 U.S. adults. It highlights the public's interest in major news events and their perception of the tone and coverage of these stories.

Main Points

• Top News Story: The Penn State child sex abuse scandal was the most closely followed news story, with 32% of the public citing it as their top story and 48% saying they heard mostly bad news about it.
• Economic News: Public interest in the economy remained strong, with 18% citing it as their top story. However, the perception of economic news has improved since August, with 48% now hearing mostly bad news (down from 67% in August), and 3% hearing mostly good news.
• Gas Prices: There was a notable improvement in public perception of gas prices, with 47% hearing mostly bad news, 45% seeing it as mixed or mostly good, and 8% not knowing.
• Herman Cain Allegations: 46% of the public believed the coverage of the sexual harassment allegations against Herman Cain was excessive, while 33% thought it was appropriate and 13% thought it was insufficient.
• Partisan Differences: There were clear partisan differences in how the public perceived economic news. 59% of Republicans, 46% of Democrats, and 45% of independents said they heard mostly bad news about the economy. Republicans were more likely to see the Cain allegations as over-covered compared to Democrats.
• Rick Perry Memory Lapse: 66% of the public had heard at least a little about Rick Perry's memory lapse during a presidential debate, with 30% hearing a little and 36% hearing a lot.
• News Coverage vs. Interest: The public's interest in the Penn State scandal (32%) was higher than the news coverage (17%), indicating that the story was more impactful than the amount of media attention it received.
• Other News Stories: The public showed less interest in the "super committee" (4%), anti-Wall Street protests (6%), and the European debt crisis (6%). Coverage of the European debt crisis was higher than public interest, with 11% of media coverage.

Key Information

• Economic News Trends:
  • 48% of the public now hears mostly bad news about the economy, down from 58% in October and 67% in August.
  • 64% heard mostly bad news about the job situation, down from 74% in August.
• Gas Prices:
  • Public perception of gas prices has improved significantly since early 2011, with 47% hearing mostly bad news and 45% seeing it as mixed or mostly good.
• Coverage Perceptions:
  • 46% thought the coverage of Herman Cain allegations was excessive.
  • 41% said the coverage of the Penn State scandal was too much, while 40% felt it was appropriate.
  • 51% believed the "super committee" received too little coverage.
• News Interest Distribution:
  • 34% followed the Penn State scandal very closely.
  • 39% followed the economy very closely.
  • 24% followed the Cain allegations very closely.
• Public Awareness of Other Stories:
  • 14% followed the off-year elections and ballot initiatives very closely.
  • 21% followed news about the mishandling of U.S. service members' remains very closely.

Methodology

• The survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and included a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults.
• The survey used both landline and cell phone random digit dial samples.
• The data was weighted to match demographic parameters from the March 2010 Census Bureau's Current Population Survey.
• Sampling errors are noted, with a 4.0 percentage point margin of error for the total sample at the 95% confidence level.

Conclusion

The report underscores that while the public's interest in the Penn State scandal remained high, economic news continued to attract significant attention. Public perception of the economy has improved slightly, but remains largely negative. There is a clear pattern of over-coverage for certain stories, such as Herman Cain's allegations, and under-coverage for others, like the "super committee" and anti-Wall Street protests. The findings also highlight the role of partisan perspectives in shaping public opinion on news coverage and tone.