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About a quarter (26%) say they followed news about the economy more closely than other major stories. News about the economy accounted for 12% of the newshole measured by PEJ. That does not include 4% of coverage devoted to the debate over whether to extend expiring Bush-era tax cuts. The tax debate was the most closely followed story for 7%; about two-in-ten (21%) say they followed this story very closely.
While 11% say they followed news about the elections most closely, the same percentage say they followed news about the release of a jailed American hiker held in Iran that closely. Nearly a quarter (23%) say they followed election news very closely, while 16% say they followed news about the released hiker that closely. Her release accounted for 2% of coverage.
Another 4% say they followed news about Israeli-Palestinian peace talks most closely, while 13% say they followed this news very closely. The talks accounted for 1% of coverage.
And 4% say they most closely followed the visit by Pope Benedict to Great Britain and his comments on the Catholic Church’s sex-abuse scandal; 10% say they followed this news very closely. The pope’s visit accounted for 2% of coverage.
News Interest  | News Interest  | News Coverage  | Economy  | 26  | 12  | Congressional elections  | 11  | 30  | elections  | U.S. hiker's release  | 11  | from Iran  | Debate over tax  | plans  | Israeli-Palestinian  | peace talks  | Pope Benedict's visit  | 2  | Pope to Great Britain  | News interestshows the percentage ofpeople who say they September16-19, followed this story most  | closely, News interestshows Pew Research shows the Center for the People of & the Press, devoted September16-19, each 2010 Pew  | News coverage shows the percentage People of news coverage devoted September16-19, to each story, Pew  | Research Center's Project for Excellence inJournalism, September13-19 2010 