2009-04-01-皮尤-Little_Sign_of_Obama_Fatigue_10页_54kb

Report Summary: Media Coverage and Public Perception of President Obama (April 2, 2009)

Key Findings

1. Obama Media Coverage & Public Perception

   • About one-third (34%) of Americans believed they were hearing too much about President Obama.
   • More than half (54%) felt they were hearing the right amount about the new president.

2. Partisan Differences on Obama Coverage

   • Republicans were more critical of media coverage of Obama: 59% thought coverage was excessive, while only 16% Democrats and 33% Independents agreed.
   • Democrats were more likely to view media coverage as fair (76%) or insufficiently critical (63% believed the press was too soft on Obama), while only 4% of Republicans held these views.

3. Public Attention on Economic News

   • Economic issues continued to dominate media and public attention.
   • Nearly half (48%) followed economic news very closely; 30% reported economic news as the most closely followed story last week.
   • Economic coverage filled 35% of available news space, with Obama’s budget proposal making up 6% and stricter financial regulations up to 5%.

Summary Statements

• Despite increased media attention, there was little evidence of "Obama fatigue" in mid-2009, as weekly news coverage consistently highlighted Obama as a top newsmaker.
• Public fatigue toward media portrayals of President Obama had increased since early 2009 compared to his campaign period.
• Trust in media coverage of Obama declined, with only 52% finding the coverage fair—a decrease from 64% post-inauguration.