News Interest Index: Winter Olympics Tops Public's News Interests

News Interest Index: Winter Olympics Tops Public's News Interests

Americans say they followed news about the Winter Olympics in Vancouver more closely than any other major news story last week. The Olympics also proved to be one of two stories people talked about most frequently with friends. The other was Tiger Woods' televised apology for marital infidelities.

About a quarter of the public (24%) says they followed news about the Winter Olympics more closely than any other news story last week. But Americans also kept a close watch on two long-running stories: the troubled U.S. economy (18% most closely) and the debate over health care reform (16% most closely), according to the latest News Interest Index survey, conducted Feb. 19-22 among 1,007 adults by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

According to a separate analysis by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, no single story dominated coverage last week. Coverage of the economy made up 12% of the newshole. The Olympics and the ongoing war in Afghanistan each accounted for 8%, while the IRS plane crash – and reports about the pilot's grievances with the tax agency – made up 7% of the newshole. The debate over health care reform received relatively little coverage last week (4%), while reports out of Haiti about the release of some of the American missionaries accused of kidnapping Haitian children accounted for 2%.

Read the full report Winter Olympics Tops Public's News Interests 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

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
Article

37 Scientists Pioneering the Future of Biomedical Research

Quick View
Article

Biomedical researchers are at the heart of nearly every medical advancement. From cutting-edge cancer treatments to breakthrough discoveries about emerging viruses, these scientists use creativity and ingenuity to explore new horizons in human health and medicine. And for nearly 40 years, The Pew Charitable Trusts has supported more than 1,000 early-career researchers committed to this work.

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?