Publications

Over 87% of Americans are unprepared to protect themselves from even the most basic world-ending scenarios reports The Onion.

Just 28% of Americans say they approve of the job Republicans are doing in Congress, the lowest level in Pew Research surveys going back 15 years.

Only 30% of the public supports extending government loans to GM and Chrysler.

Just under half (48%) of the public says spending billions of dollars to help keep financial institutions secure is the right thing to do; 40% say it is wrong.

The public is evenly divided over spending billions to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure on mortgages they cannot afford but most supporters say they are bothered by it.

A majority of Americans (56%) reject the criticism that Obama is trying to tackle too many issues.

About one-in-ten online adults have used Twitter or a similar service.

Seven-in-ten Americans (70%) now consider home airconditioning a necessity, up from only half who said so in the mid-1990s.

With the AIG bonuses fueling outrage, the economic crisis received more attention from the social media last week than any other topic since PEJ began its NMI two months ago. And the week’s most viewed video was a casting call that turned into a stampede.

How popular was local television as a source for news in 2008? How did ratings for morning, evening and late night newscasts fare? These questions and more are answered in the Local TV chapter of the State of the News Media 2009 report.