Publications

A news week that began with the campaign ended with the death of Muammar Gaddafi. 

Barack Obama is a leading driver of voter preferences in possible 2012 matchups, among both his supporters and opponents. A third of Obama supporters considered their choice a vote for him, while 33% of Mitt Romney backers saw it as a vote against Obama.

Veterans of the post-9/11 wars found extra rewards as well as greater hardships stemming from their deployments. Six-in-ten said the experience of being deployed had a positive impact on their financial situation and nearly half (48%) said it put a strain on their marriages.

Of all the candidates vying for the White House next year, President Obama has received the most negative coverage in the news media and on blogs. Only 9% of the coverage about Obama during the first phase of the 2012 campaign was positive.

More than four-in-ten (43%) Republicans who watched at least one of the GOP presidential debates say it led them to change their mind about which candidate to support. Slightly more than half of Tea Party Republicans (51%) said the debates had prompted them to change their mind.

The Netflix decision to drop earlier plans to split its services was seen as a victory for the power of social media last week. The iPhone 4S continued to be a hot topic on both blogs and Twitter. And a bloody goring at a bullfight was the most popular YouTube video.

Lee Rainie spoke about “As learning goes mobile” at the Educause 2011 annual conference. He described the Project’s latest findings about how people (especially young adults) use mobile devices, including smartphones and tablet computers.