News Interest Index: Election Results Draw Big Interest, Heavy Coverage

The results of the midterm elections dominated both the public's interest and media attention last week as Republicans easily won control of the House while making big gains in the Senate and in many statehouses.

Fully 43% say they followed news about the election outcome more closely than any other news, according to the latest News Interest Index survey conducted among 996 adults from Nov. 4-7.  News about the elections accounted for 57% of the newshole, the highest level of coverage for any story since the 2008 elections, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ).

Compared with the 2006 congressional elections, about as many say they followed the outcome very closely (47%) as did four years ago (46%) when Democrats captured control of both the House and the Senate. This year's level of interest is slightly higher than interest in the midterm elections of 1994 (41%). That year, Republicans gained control of Congress.

Read the full report, Election Results Draw Big Interest, Heavy Coverage on the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press' Web site.