News Interest % following each story very closely Which one story did you follow most closely?
A third of the public (33%) says they followed news about military air strikes in Libya by the U.S. and its allies very closely last week. By contrast, 50% say they followed news about the aftermath of the Japanese disasters very closely. The survey was completed before President Obama addressed the nation Monday night about the mission in Libya.
The current level of interest in Libya is no higher than interest in news about the nation’s economy (36% very closely). But economic news accounted for only 6% of coverage.
In other news, 11% say they followed news about the death of actress Elizabeth Taylor very closely; 3% say this was their top story. News about the movie star’s death accounted for 7% of coverage.
Similar percentages followed news about the 2012 presidential candidates, though this story received less coverage; 13% say they followed news about the elections very closely, while 2% say this was the news they followed most closely. News about the early positioning garnered just 2% of coverage.
News Interest  | % following each story very closely  | Which one story did you follow most closely?  | Japan disaster  | 50  | 57  | Air strikes in Libya  | 33  | 15  | Economy  | 36  | 10  | Elizabeth Taylor  | 3  | 11  | 2  | 2012 election  | 13  | Egyptian constitution  | 8  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER Mar. 24-27, 2011, 