2007-05-16-皮尤-Iraq_and_Tornadoes_Top_the_News_9页_215kb

News Interest Index Summary: May 7, 2007

Key Findings on Public News Interest

• Iraq War: The Iraq war dominated public attention and media coverage. 30% of the public followed Iraq news very closely, and it was the top story of the week for 24%.
• Policy Debate: National news coverage focused heavily on U.S. Iraq policy debate, which 9-25% followed very closely or named as top story.
• Tornadoes and Flooding: Weather events garnered 22% of close attention and was among the top stories, with 16% listed as most closely followed.
• 2008 Presidential Campaign: Campaign interest was high, with 18% following it closely, but media coverage decreased comparably week-to-week.
• Other Stories: Events like British PM Tony Blair's resignation and a U.S. terror plot received less public interest relative to coverage.

American Idol Survey Results

• Only 22% of the public paid close attention to American Idol news.
• Men accounted for 17% following it very or fairly closely, compared to 26% for women. Age-wise, 26% among 18-29-year-olds and 20% in 50-64 group showed interest.
• Loyal viewers (those following very closely) frequently discussed Idol in conversations, while overall, 66% paid no attention.
• American Idol was mentioned in 39% of conversations, but its popularity in discussions varied by demographic.