Television Viewer Attitudes
Here is information on the views and attitudes of the public that is
served by news organizations. It may help you clarify which subjects people are most
interested in and what the top stories really are.
December, 2003
Pew
News Index Topped By Iraq
Not surprisingly, Iraq dominated the public's news interest in 2003, according to the Pew
Research Center's annual News Index survey.
Here are some of their findings:
--- In May, 63% of Americans said they paid very close attention to news from Iraq
(another 29% paid fairly close attention).
--- High gasoline prices attracted a great deal of attention. M ore than half (53%)
tracked this story very closely in February. In March, nearly six-in-ten (57%) of
those with a high school education tracked high gas prices very closely compared with only
about four-in-ten college graduates (42%).
--- African Americans paid far more attention than whites to criminal allegations
against black celebrities. They were nearly four times more likely than whites to say they
tracked the Kobe Bryant case very closely (47% vs. 13%) in August.
--- The Laci Peterson murder drew much more attention from women than men (40% vs. 22%)
in May. The gender split was nearly as large in attention to news of the safe recovery of
Elizabeth Smart of Utah (40% men, 28% women).
--- A number of disasters, both natural and man-made, attracted broad interest. Nearly
half of Americans paid very close attention to reports on Hurricane Isabel (47% very
closely) and the disaster involving the Shuttle Columbia (46%).
May, 2003
Trust
in media keeps on slipping
Public confidence in the media, already low, continues to slip. Only 36%, among the
lowest in years, believe news organizations get the facts straight, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup
Poll showed. Peter
Johnson of USA TODAY has a summary.
March, 2003
Pew measures attitudes
about Iraq War, news coverage
In the opening days of the attack on Iraq, public attention to news coverage of the war
was on par with interest in the first Gulf War. Television --- especially cable news ---
was the dominant source of war news for the vast majority of Americans. The public
generally gave the media good marks for that coverage. About eight-in-ten (79%) rated war
coverage as good or excellent, roughly the same number as during the first Iraq war.
Field & Sample: A five-day survey was conducted March 20-24, 2003 among 1,495 people.
Poll: Media is inaccurate,
doesn't care about people
A Pew Research Center survey found much of the public had returned in 2002 to
attitudes held before September 11, 2001.
A majority rated news organizations negatively in three areas:
- More than half (56%) of those surveyed believed the news media "usually"
report inaccurately. Only about 1 of 3 (35%) of them felt news organizations
"usually" got facts straight.
- Many of those surveyed perceived newspeople as not concerned about the people they
report on. This was almost 2 to 1 (55% to 30%). Again the group that was pro news
organizations was only about one-third of the people.
- Twice (58%) as many people thought the media gets in the way of society solving its
problems than (31%) felt it helps solve them.
However, individual news organizations and personalities --- with the exception of
People, the National Enquirer, and Geraldo Rivera --- were much more likely to be rated as
believable. Local television news did quite well.
Pew 2002 Believability Survey
People were asked to rate news organizations and personalities on a
scale of 4 to 1. On this four point scale, "4" meant they could believe all or
most of what the organization says. "1" meant they believe almost nothing of
what they said.
|
|
|
Believe |
|
Cannot
Believe |
| CNN |
|
|
32 |
|
34 |
|
15 |
|
6 |
| NBC News |
|
|
23 |
|
43 |
|
19 |
|
6 |
| ABC News |
|
|
22 |
|
43 |
|
19 |
|
6 |
| Your local TV news |
|
|
26 |
|
39 |
|
22 |
|
7 |
| CBS News |
|
|
23 |
|
41 |
|
19 |
|
6 |
| Your newspaper |
|
|
20 |
|
39 |
|
22 |
|
9 |
| Time |
|
|
18 |
|
35 |
|
19 |
|
7 |
| USA Today |
|
|
15 |
|
36 |
|
19 |
|
6 |
| Wall Street Journal |
|
|
22 |
|
29 |
|
11 |
|
4 |
| C-SPAN |
|
|
18 |
|
26 |
|
12 |
|
5 |
| People |
|
|
7 |
|
20 |
|
31 |
|
15 |
| National Enquirer |
|
|
3 |
|
5 |
|
11 |
|
60 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tom Brokaw |
|
|
35 |
|
37 |
|
14 |
|
4 |
| Geraldo Rivera |
|
|
7 |
|
18 |
|
31 |
|
32 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Full
details are at the Pew site.
Media 1998
Consumption Survey:
Local News Strong, Online News Use Growing Rapidly
The Pew Research Center's 1998 biennial news use survey found the number of Americans
obtaining news on the Internet growing at "an astonishing rate." Interest
in local news remains substantial and this is sustaining television stations' news
operations in a time of audience fragmentation and changes in media consumption.
In 1996, Pew found
broadcast news organizations challenged to retain their viewers.
Polls: How do people feel about television news?
One major benchmark survey of
American attitudes about television news and potential news items was conducted for THE
RUNDOWN in 1989 by Frank N. Magid Associates of
Cedar Rapids --- a premiere research and consulting firm with a long involvement with
television.
Princess
Diana's death drew most public interest in 1997
The annual survey by the Pew Research Center found there was only one story in 1997 that
more than half the public claimed to have paid close attention to: the death of Princess
Diana.
54% of the American public said they paid very close attention to news accounts of the
Paris crash and the following funeral.
You can compare the professed interest in the Diana story with the interest of other
years.
Wars, weather and disasters show up at the top of the list of news stories people
say they are most interested in.
Women and younger people are
less interested in national news, according to previous studies from the Pew
Center.
Gallup:
World War II Rated Most Important Event of Century
Americans rate World War Two as the most important event of the century, based on the
results of a new Gallup Poll.
The poll asked Americans to rate each of 18 events, a list that was developed based on
previous questioning which probed Americans' opinions about the events of the century in
an open-ended fashion.
Participants were asked whether they considered each event one of the MOST important
events of the century, important but not the MOST important, somewhat important,
or not important.
Most Important
Events Of The Century
Gallup Poll |
| |
|
|
|
|
Most
Imp't |
Imp't
But not
MOST |
Some-
what
Imp't |
Not
Imp't |
Don't
Know |
| 1. World War II |
|
71% |
21% |
05% |
02% |
01% |
| 2. Women gain vote 1920 |
|
66% |
20% |
11% |
03% |
00% |
| 3. Atomic bomb on Hiroshima |
|
66% |
20% |
09% |
04% |
01% |
| 4. Nazi Holocaust |
|
65% |
20% |
09% |
05% |
01% |
| 5. 1964 Civil Rights Act |
|
58% |
26% |
13% |
02% |
01% |
| Field: Nov. 4-7, 1999 |
|
|
|
Sample: 489 |
You can review the top 18
events at the Gallup site.
Claim: Less crime news is wanted. In 1995, a Boston Globe poll found
viewers claiming they wanted less crime news and more consumer information.
Polling analysis: Talk
radio listeners are more men, more conservative
A University of Michigan team studied recent polling to define just who it is that is
listening to this opinion-oriented radio.
Talk radio: Who's listening?
Here's a summary of findings
of an August, 1996 study done at the University
of Pennsylvania.
20 Questions About Polls
For Journalists
There are polls and there are "polls." Here's an excellent introduction to
polling, and how to separate the valid from the frauds. This is a publication of the
National Council on Public Polls in keeping with its mission to help educate journalists
on the use of public opinion polls
The authors, Sheldon R. Gawiser. Ph.D. and G. Evans Witt. were the cofounders of the
Associated Press/ NBC News Poll.
THE RUNDOWN has debriefed many television newspeople and documented their specific
advice. Is there a subject that you would like us to add
to this online archive?
Here's information you need to subscribe
to The Rundown and also contact us via
electronic mail. |
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Rasmussen
Presidential Tracking Reports
Zogby
Polls
Keystone
Poll
Pennsylvania issues
from Franklin and Marshall.
Suffolk
University
(Boston) Polling
University
of New Hampshire
Survey Center
You can track current attitudes and
check trends of previous years through these polling resources.
Gallup
This veteran firm tracks most major issues and is often in the field with fresh surveys.
Washington
Post
An ongoing national polling effort is maintained by
this top newspaper.
Los Angeles
Times
National and California surveys.
ABC News Poll Vault
Summaries of recent polling for the network's news department.
Fox News Polls
Harris Polls
Regular national polling and Internet surveys.
Institute for
Public Opinion
at Marist College
New York city and state issues.
Eagleton, Rutgers
University
New Jersey issues checked for 30 years.
Quinnipiac University
Access their Polling Institute for their work in CT, NY, NYC and NJ.
Mackinac Center for Public
Policy
Michigan issues.
Millersville Keystone Poll
Pennsylvania was surveyed regularly before 2004.
Ohio Poll
Institute for Policy Research, University of Cincinnati.
KAET-TV
Polls
at Arizona State University
Wisconsin Badger
Poll
From the University of Wisconsin Survey Center.
Field Polls (California)
Tracking public opinion in California since 1945.
Kunz
Center for the
Study of Work and Family
Views of the workplace from the University of Cincinnati.
The Center for the People
and the Press
Pew Research Center documents trends and offers polling analysis.
MORI United Kingdom Polls
Market & Opinion Research International is the largest independently-owned market
research company in the United Kingdom.
Wirthlin Worldwide
Ronald Reagan's pollster advises business and political clients, check
their monthly online newsletter.
Ipsos
Ipsos conducts strategic research initiatives for diverse U.S., Canadian and international
organizations.
Fedstats
One stop shopping for federal statistics.
Search
the Census Bureau
Current demographic information on many subjects and places in the United States.
Tipsheets
for Reporters, Editors, & News Directors, Census Bureau
American Statistical
Association
Venerable organization dedicated to accuracy in the numbers.
Journalism Education Association
This group provides educators with many services.
Polls
Measure HMO Impact
To discover whether managed care and the growth of HMOs had changed the quality of health
care, patients and physicians were interviewed separately by WCVB-TV, Boston.
New Hampshire
Primary:
Polling Picks Up Shifts
In 1988, George Bush and Robert Dole fought for the Republican presidential nomination in
New Hampshire. Large blocks of voters were not firmly locked on either candidacy.
Frequent media polling allowed the public to know what the political insiders knew
from their own tracking.
stlradio.com
History of St. Louis radio
Chicago Radio-TV
History
A varied, extensive history of Chicago broadcasting.
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Preserving the heritage and memories of hometown radio
and television.
 You can quickly locate information anywhere throughout the public
portion of our site using a full-text search engine.
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