Most Americans say they often or sometimes get local political news, but only a quarter of them are highly satisfied with the quality of coverage. And fewer than half of U.S. adults say it is easy to find the information they need to make voting decisions in local elections.
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Report Summary News about the drug wars, international and domestic, dominated the American consciousness in September in a way that no other issue did. There was extensive public attentiveness, significant public understanding, and few complaints about the amount of press coverage devoted to the story:
Report Summary News about the crash of a United Airlines DC-10 in Iowa, and the American hostages in the Mideast, were the only stories followed very closely by large percentages of Americans in early August. The Sioux City air disaster and the murder of Marine Lt. Col. Higgins and related Mideast events, were closely followed […]
Report Summary China, abortion, and the flag were the stories that dominated the consciousness of Americans in early July. Each was followed very closely by nearly half of all American adults – a level of response that places these stories in the top quintile of all stories Times Mirror has tracked. Although all three stories […]
Report Summary The Alaska oil spill was the story that attracted the most public attention in early May. Nearly nine in ten Americans (89%) were following news coverage of the Alaskan oil spill very or fairly closely. A majority (52%) were following very closely, and a plurality (36%) chose it as the news story they […]
Report Summary Public perceptions and priorities are changing as the new administration begins its effort to deal with the nation’s economic problems. This new Times Mirror survey identifies five important elements of public opinion that have significant implications for economic policy alternatives. These trends and dispositions emerge from an analysis of the findings of 2000 […]
Thousands of guests appeared on the top-ranked podcasts in 2022, but a relatively small number accounted for a majority of appearances. 76% of top-ranked podcasts brought on at least one guest in 2022, and 27% almost always or regularly featured guests.
Social media is playing a crucial role in Americans’ news consumption. Today, three-in-ten U.S. adults say they regularly get news on Facebook. Slightly fewer (26%) regularly get news on YouTube.
Black Americans see a range of problems with how Black people are covered in the news. Almost two-thirds of Black adults (63%) say news about Black people is often more negative than news about other racial and ethnic groups. And while few are optimistic that will change in the foreseeable future, many see ways in which that coverage could be improved.
As they watch the splashy emergence of generative artificial intelligence and an array of other AI applications, experts participating in a new Pew Research Center canvassing say they have deep concerns about people’s and society’s overall well-being. At the same time, they expect to see great benefits in health care, scientific advances and education
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