News Interest Index: Economic Problems, Especially in Detroit, Absorb Public's Attention

Report Read time:
News Interest Index: Economic Problems, Especially in Detroit, Absorb Public's Attention

With the presidential election behind them, Americans have turned their attention back to the nation's economy.  The economy was by far the public's top news story last week, according to the latest News Interest Index by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

Fully 56% of the public followed news about the economy very closely last week, and as many as 43% listed this as the single news story they followed more closely than any other. In particular, Americans are beginning to focus more closely on the problems facing the U.S. auto industry.  

Despite the public's changing focus, the national news media split its coverage between economic and political news last week.  According to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, the media devoted as much attention to Barack Obama's plans for his administration as it did to the economic crisis. 

Three-in-ten Americans paid very close attention to news about problems facing the U.S. auto industry last week. Interest in news about the fate of the Big Three automakers has increased significantly in recent weeks. Two weeks earlier, only 16% were paying very close attention to news about the possible merger of General Motors and Chrysler. The last time the public was tracking news about the auto industry this closely was in January 1992, when GM announced major job cuts and restructuring.

When asked to name the one economic or financial problem they have been hearing the most about in the news these days, the auto industry is the second most prominent issue, after the housing and mortgage crisis.  About one-in-five (21%) named housing as the one economic problem they've been hearing the most about, while 17% named the auto industry.  Other economic issues the public is hearing a lot about include the government bailout plan (13%), the credit crisis (11%), the stock market (9%) and unemployment (7%).

Read the full report Economic Problems, Especially in Detroit, Absorb Public's Attention on the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press Web site.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.