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2008 Presidential Campaign and News Interest Summary

Core Content Overview

This document presents data from the Pew Research Center's News Interest Index, conducted in the weeks leading up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election. It highlights the public's level of interest in the presidential campaign and related news stories, comparing them to past election cycles and examining the role of media coverage and partisan differences.

Key Findings

Public Interest in the 2008 Presidential Campaign

• High Interest: 55% of Americans were tracking news about the 2008 presidential candidates very or fairly closely, with an average of 53% over the past three months.
• Historical Comparison: This level of interest is higher than previous elections, such as the 2004 campaign (38%) and the 2000 campaign (45%).
• Media Coverage: The 2008 campaign received heavy media attention, being one of the top five most covered news stories for most weeks from mid-January to early April 2007. The only story receiving more coverage was the Iraq war.

Partisan Differences in Interest

• Democrats vs. Republicans: Democrats showed significantly higher interest in the campaign, with an average of 12 percentage points more than Republicans.
• April 2, 2007: 66% of Democrats were closely following campaign news compared to 58% of Republicans.
• Independents: Slightly less interested than Democrats or Republicans, with 46% closely following news in the previous week.

Top News Stories

• Iraq Situation: One-third of the public followed news about the current situation and events in Iraq very closely, with 20% citing it as their most closely followed story.
• British Hostages: 31% of Americans followed the release of 15 British sailors and marines held captive by Iran very closely, making it the top story in terms of public interest.
• Global Warming: 26% of the public followed global warming news very closely, with a notable increase in interest compared to 10 years earlier (10% in 1997).
• U.S. Attorney Firings: Public interest in this story remained fairly constant despite a significant drop in media coverage, with 11% of the public following it very closely.

Media Coverage Trends

• News Coverage Index: The campaign was ranked second in terms of media coverage, with 10% of the newshole devoted to it.
• Partisan Media Bias: Democratic candidates received roughly twice as much media coverage as Republican candidates.

Additional Information

News Interest Index Methodology

• Survey Method: Conducted via telephone interviews with a nationwide sample of approximately 1,000 adults.
• Confidence Level: Results are based on a 95% confidence level with a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points.
• Subgroup Margins of Error: Higher for subgroups due to smaller sample sizes.

Pew Research Center

• Mission: An independent, nonpartisan research group focused on public opinion, media, and political attitudes.
• Partnership: Collaborates with the Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) to monitor both public interest and media coverage.

Public News Sources

Q.3: Regular News Sources

• Newspapers: 49% of respondents said they regularly get news from newspapers.
• Network TV News: 64% regularly get news from network television.
• Cable News Channels: 58% regularly get news from cable TV news.
• Radio: 40% regularly get news from radio.
• Internet: 38% regularly get news from the internet.

Q.4: Main News Source

• April 5-9, 2007: The internet was the main source for 15% of respondents, followed by network TV (29%), cable TV (28%), newspapers (13%), and radio (10%).

Summary of Trends

• Increased Interest: The 2008 campaign saw a notable increase in public interest compared to past elections, possibly due to high media coverage and the presence of high-profile candidates.
• Partisan Divide: Democrats were more engaged with campaign news than Republicans, which may be attributed to media bias.
• Global Warming Interest: Public interest in global warming increased significantly over the past decade, with a 12% increase in interest in 2007 compared to 1997.
• Media Influence: The level of media coverage significantly affects public interest, with the Iraq war and the 2008 campaign being the most covered stories.

This summary provides an overview of the public's interest in the 2008 presidential campaign and related news stories, highlighting the trends and differences across various demographics and media sources.