Overview The devastating tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest last week dominated the public’s news interest and received much more coverage than any other story. About half of the public (48%) says they followed news about the powerful tornadoes that struck Joplin, Mo., more closely than any other news last week. None of the week’s […]
In the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese public is resilient. Indeed, a majority believe that as a result of the disaster, Japan will become a stronger nation. And while personal pessimism about the future has crept up slightly, on balance the public’s overall sense of personal well being appears little changed by the calamitous events of 2011.
Americans have decidedly negative reactions to the candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination. Asked for a single word to describe the GOP field, the top response is a variation on “unimpressed,” with 42 mentions. Overall, 44% offer negative words to describe the Republican candidates, 19% use neutral words and just 12% use positive words. […]
The latest outbreak of violent spring storms proved to be the biggest weather story in PEJ’s four years of tracking news coverage. An election in New York State turned into a major economic story and the prospect of a Palin candidacy helped drive coverage of the 2012 presidential campaign last week.
How have social media responded to President Obama’s controversial speech about the conflict in the Middle East? This special edition of PEJ’s New Media Index is an in-depth look at the tone of the complex conversation on blogs, Twitter and Facebook that occurred as President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu met in Washington.