2009-07-07-皮尤-Public_Hearing_More_Negative_News_About_Economy_16页_76kb

Summary of Pew Research Center News Interest Index Report, July 8, 2009

Key Findings

• Top News Stories: Michael Jackson's death continued to dominate news interest, with 25% of Americans following it very closely. It was again the most closely followed story that week. Economic news saw the highest negative sentiment, with 41% reporting mostly bad news, up from 31% in May.

• Economic Sentiment Shift: Over the past two months, the share of Americans hearing only good economic news dropped to less than 3%. Independents and Democrats showed increased concern, with 45% and 30% respectively hearing mostly bad news. Local economic reports were also grim, with 44% hearing mostly bad news in their area.

• Other Major Stories: Iraq troop withdrawal was closely followed by 25%, and Iran developments drew attention, though interest declined from previous weeks. Bernard Madoff's sentencing and the firefighter promotion case were also topics of interest.

• Public Perception Differences: African Americans were more likely than whites to follow Michael Jackson news closely. Economic concerns varied by political group, with Republicans showing more mixed views compared to Democrats and independents.

• Methodology: The data is based on a survey July 2-5, combined with news coverage analysis from June 29-July 5, 2009, providing insights into public attention to major events.