Elections, Economy Top Public's News Interest

Americans continued to focus most closely on two interrelated news stories last week: the 2012 elections and the condition of the U.S. economy.

About a quarter of the public (24%) says news about candidates for the 2012 presidential elections was their top story. About as many (20%) say they followed news about the economy most closely, according to the latest weekly News Interest Index survey, conducted Feb. 23-26 among 1,005 adults by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The economy dominated coverage, accounting for 29% of the newshole, according to a separate analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ). News about Syria ranked second, accounting for 9% of coverage. Few (4%) say this was the news they followed most closely. Nearly four-in-ten (37%) say they followed news about the economy very closely, a level of interest that has fluctuated only slightly in recent weeks. About three-in-ten (28%) say they followed news about the candidates very closely.