| Table 7-6 |
| Science/technology-related news stories
attracting most public interest: 2000–02 |
| (Percent) |
| |
 |
| News stories |
Public interest |
Date question asked |
|
| Reports of anthrax in United States |
47 |
Nov-01 |
| Firestone tire recall |
42 |
Oct-00 |
| Winter weather in Northeast and Midwest |
42 |
Jan-01 |
| Reports of anthrax in United States |
41 |
Nov-01 |
| Hurricanes in Louisiana and Gulf of Mexico |
38 |
Oct-02 |
| Cases of West Nile virus |
34 |
Sep-02 |
| Bush decision on stem cell research |
31 |
Aug-01 |
| Federal ruling on Microsoft |
28 |
Jun-00 |
| Food and Drug Administration's decision on RU-486 |
26 |
Oct-00 |
| Outbreak of foot-mouth disease in Europe |
22 |
Mar-01 |
| Midwest floods |
20 |
Apr-01 |
| Droughts in United States |
19 |
Apr-02 |
| Reports on AIDS in Africa |
19 |
Jul-00 |
| Worldwide AIDS epidemic |
19 |
Aug-01 |
| Hackers attacking websites |
18 |
Feb-00 |
| Mad cow disease in Europe |
18 |
Aug-01 |
| AOL-Time Warner merger |
17 |
Jan-00 |
| Government's plan for Microsoft |
16 |
May-00 |
| Mapping human genetic code |
16 |
Jul-00 |
| Earthquake in India |
15 |
Feb-01 |
| Missile defense system |
15 |
May-01 |
| Oil spill off coast of Spain |
15 |
Dec-02 |
| Reports of cloned baby by religious cult |
14 |
Jan-03 |
| Court ruling in Microsoft case |
13 |
Apr-00 |
| Floods in Mozambique |
10 |
Mar-00 |
| United Nations special session on AIDS |
6 |
Jul-01 |
|
|
| |
NOTE: Percents reflect respondents
who said they followed the story “very closely.” Because
Pew Research Center surveys are conducted every 2 weeks, the “reports
of anthrax” item appears twice in November 2001.
SOURCE: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, News Interest
Index, Public Attentiveness to News Stories: 1986–2002 (Washington,
DC, 2003). |
| |
| Science & Engineering Indicators
— 2004 |
|
Source Links:
Source data 
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