Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Despite Media Coverage, Few Interested in Hu's Visit

January 26, 2011

The public continued to show strong interest last week in news about the shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., though the story did not dominate media coverage as it had one week earlier.

More than four-in-ten Americans (44%) say they followed news about the aftermath of the Jan. 8 shootings more closely than any other news last week, according to the latest News Interest Index survey conducted Jan. 20-23 among 1,001 adults. One week earlier, 49% said this was the news they followed most closely.

News about the shootings and what followed them -- with a strong focus on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' recovery and debate over angry political rhetoric in the United States -- accounted for 17% of coverage last week, according to a separate analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ). The story accounted for 57% of the newshole in the week immediately after the shootings.

Among the other top stories for the public -- both well behind the Arizona rampage -- were news about the economy (14% most closely) and news about Republican efforts to repeal the health care law enacted in 2010 (12% most closely). These stories each accounted for 8% of coverage.

Few Americans say they followed news about the visit to this country by Chinese President Hu Jintao most closely (3%). Still, news about the visit accounted for 11% of the newshole, making the trip the second most covered story of the week.

Partisan Differences Over the Week's News

More than half of Democrats (55%) say they tracked news about the Arizona shootings very closely, compared with 44% of Republicans and 39% of independents. And while 54% of Democrats say the Arizona shooting was the story they followed most closely, fewer independents (44%) and Republicans (41%) say this.

There also is a gender gap in attentiveness to news about the Arizona shootings: 53% of women say it was the story they followed most closely, compared with 36% of men.

Republicans are more likely to say they followed news about the GOP effort to repeal last year's health care bill very closely (41%) than are either Democrats (29%) or independents (27%). Republicans also are more likely to say that this was the story they followed most closely; 19% say this, compared with 10% each of Democrats and independents. Those ages 50 and older are much more likely to say they followed this news very closely than those ages 49 and younger (40% vs. 21%).

Close to four-in-ten (37%) Americans say they followed news about the economy very closely last week, a level of interest little changed since the start of December; 14% say they followed news about the economy most closely. Partisan differences on economic news are slight.
Other stories garnered relatively low interest, including the visit to the U.S. by Chinese President Hu Jintao, news about political instability and earthquake recovery in Haiti and news about instability in Tunisia following the government's collapse there.

Just more than one-in-ten (13%) say they followed news about the Chinese leader's visit very closely, while 3% say this was the news they followed most closely. There are no significant differences in interest among partisans.

Meanwhile, 16% say they followed reports out of Haiti very closely and 7% say they followed news about instability in Tunisia that closely. News out of Haiti accounted for 3% of coverage, while news about Tunisia accounted for 2%.

Many Have Heard About Steve Jobs' Medical Leave

More than half of the public (56%) says they heard at least a little last week about Apple CEO Steve Jobs taking another medical leave. Nearly one quarter (23%) say they heard a lot about Jobs' announcement, while 33% say they heard a little. In June 2009, fewer (9%) had heard a lot about Jobs' liver transplant. At that point, 33% said they had heard a little about his transplant.

About half (49% each) say they heard at least a little about a proposal that Republicans and Democrats sit together at President Obama's Jan. 25 State of the Union address or about Sen. Joe Lieberman's announcement that he would not seek reelection in 2012.

Just 15% say they heard a lot about the proposal for bipartisan seating at the annual speech in the House chamber, while 34% heard a little about this. Half say they heard nothing about the plan. About two-in-ten Democrats (21%) say they had heard a lot about the proposal, compared with 10% of independents. Among Republicans, 17% say they heard a lot about this.

Looking at Lieberman's retirement plans, 14% say they heard a lot about the Connecticut independent's announcement while 35% heard a little. Again, 50% say they heard nothing at all about this. There are no significant differences among partisans.

These findings are based on the most recent installment of the weekly News Interest Index, an ongoing project of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The index, building on the Center's longstanding research into public attentiveness to major news stories, examines news interest as it relates to the news media's coverage. The weekly survey is conducted in conjunction with The Project for Excellence in Journalism's News Coverage Index, which monitors the news reported by major newspaper, television, radio and online news outlets on an ongoing basis. In the most recent week, data relating to news coverage were collected Jan. 17-23, and survey data measuring public interest in the top news stories of the week were collected Jan. 20-23, from a nationally representative sample of 1,001 adults.

View the topline and survey methodology at people-press.org.