Younger Americans and Women Less Informed: One In Four Americans Follow National News Closely
Summary On the occasion of our transition from Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press to the Pew Research Center, we offer an overview of what we have learned during the past five years about the news stories that are followed closely by the public and how much Americans know about current events. […]
Energized Democrats Backing Clinton
Introduction and Summary Anxiety may replace anger as the dominant voter emotion in 1996. A major national survey finds significantly more Americans than 18 months ago worried about affording major expenses such as health care costs, college tuition, retirement funds and housing costs. Voter anxiety has increased across the political spectrum and appears to be […]
A Content Analysis: International News Coverage Fits Public’s Ameri-Centric Mood
Report Summary A new study suggests that the way the media covers international news may be doing little to change the American public’s indifference to concerns about world events and foreign policy. A four-month analysis of over 7,000 international news stories now finds that newspapers and network television focus most often on world news that […]
Ignore The Horse Race, Pay Attention To The Trend
Also: Poll Apart On Powell; John Paul Who?
Americans Going Online…Explosive Growth, Uncertain Destinations
Introduction and Summary The number of Americans going online to an information service or directly to the Internet has more than doubled in the past year, but most consumers are still feeling their way through cyberspace. Few see online activities as essential to them, and no single online feature, with the exception of E-Mail, is […]
Support for Independent Candidate in ’96 Up Again
Introduction and Summary Support for a third party candidate in 1996 has increased for the third consecutive time in eight months, as opposition to Republican policies in Congress continues, and Bill Clinton’s approval rating sags. The latest Time Mirror Center for The People & The Press survey found as many as 26% saying they would […]
Managing Conflict in the Post-Cold War World: A Public Perspective
Introduction Use of military force remains high in the public consciousness despite the end of the Cold War. In some way, it has become even more prominent since last year when we reported on public attitudes toward military intervention and the impact of news coverage on those attitudes. Moreover, the increased politicalization of foreign […]
Public Opinion of the UN:
Report Summary Despite signs of growing isolationism in the United States, Americans as a whole continue to express strong support for the United Nations. To a public increasingly pre-occupied with domestic concerns, the United Nations is seen as a means of carrying the burdens and sharing the costs of global leadership. The world organization is […]
Medicare Debate Gets more attention than Bosnia, Dole on Hollywood, and Even OJ
Report Summary More Americans are paying attention to Bosnia these days than at anytime since the bloody war in former Yugoslavia broke out. But Bosnia, Bob Dole’s attack on Hollywood, and even O.J. Simpson take a back seat to public attentiveness to news about proposals to scale back spending on Medicare. And the attention to […]
News Media Differs with Public and Leaders on Watchdog Issues
Report Summary American journalists have a different view of the way they do their job than does the public they serve and the leaders they cover. The outside world strongly faults the news media for its negativism. Journalists at all levels are equally adamant in rejecting this charge. They are no more adversarial than they […]
Now the GOP faces Cynical, Dissatisfied Public
Report Summary Americans see less gridlock in Washington after the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, but few think they will be helped personally by the new legislation that has been considered, and most remain very dissatisfied with progress being made on the nation’s top problems.
Network News Viewing And Newspapers Reading Off
Report Summary Fewer people are reading newspapers and watching network television news these days. It is unclear whether this is a continuation of the long-term decline in audiences of both media, or whether it is a result of the O.J. Simpson trial, which has gripped the attention of a significant percentage of core news consumers.
Very Able, but Character, Compassion and Extreme Views Questioned
Report Summary Newt Gingrich is an enigma to the public. On balance, Americans approve of the job he is doing as Speaker of the House, but they are wary of his character, concerned about his extreme points of view, and wonder about his compassion. There is much more of a consensus that he has the […]
Who Turned Out in 1990 and 1994
Report Summary Who turned out and who tuned into the 1994 Congressional election and campaign.
Media Coverage of Health Care Reform
Summary of Findings This joint project of the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Columbia Journalism Review tracked the volume and tone of press coverage of the health care debate from September of 1993 through November of 1994. This final report summarizes the broadest findings of the […]
Strong Support for Minimum Wage Hike and Preserving Entitlements
Report Summary While the Contract for America is getting all the play in Washington these days, there is still a lot of New Deal thinking in the rest of the country. No fewer than 79% of respondents in the latest Times Mirror Center survey say they approve of Bill Clinton’s proposal to increase the minimum […]
