News Interest vs. News Coverage March 39
There was bad economic news for consumers last week, as both oil prices and home mortgage foreclosures reached record highs. Public interest in these stories was substantial during a week filled mostly with campaign news.
More than four-in-ten Americans (43%) say they followed news about the rising price of oil very closely last week. Aside from the presidential campaign, oil prices were cited most often as the news story the public followed more closely than any other (17%). Interest in this story was high despite the fact that national news organizations devoted only 1% of the total news coverage to this story. Public interest in news about oil prices is comparable to November 2007, when oil reached $100 per barrel for the first time. At that time, 44% of Americans were following news about oil prices very closely (23% most closely that week).
News Interest vs. News Coverage  | March 39  | 2008 Campaign  | 46  | 52  | Oil prices  | 17  | Situation in Iraq  | 10  | Home foreclosures  | Violence in Mideast  | Interest: percent who followed this story most closely  | Coverage: percent of news coverage devoted to story 