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Pew Survey Finds Most Knowledgeable Americans Watch 'Daily Show' and 'Colbert'
EDITOR & PUBLISHER ^ | April 15, 2007 11:30 PM ET | E&P Staff

Posted on 04/16/2007 2:57:37 PM PDT by Karl Rand

Pew judged the levels of knowledgeability (correct answers) among those surveyed and found that those who scored the highest were regular watchers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Report. They tied with regular readers of major newspapers in the top spot -- with 54% of them getting 2 out of 3 questions correct. Watchers of the Lehrer News Hour on PBS followed just behind.

Virtually bringing up the rear were regular watchers of Fox News. Only 1 in 3 could answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly. Fox topped only network morning show viewers.

(Excerpt) Read more at mediainfo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2007; bs; decadeoldstory; ohplease; pew; pewresearch; survey; whataload
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A new survey of 1,502 adults released Sunday by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that despite the mass appeal of the Internet and cable news since a previous poll in 1989, Americans' knowledge of national affairs has slipped a little. For example, only 69% know that Dick Cheney is vice president, while 74% could identify Dan Quayle in that post in 1989.

Other details are equally eye-opening. Pew judged the levels of knowledgeability (correct answers) among those surveyed and found that those who scored the highest were regular watchers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Report. They tied with regular readers of major newspapers in the top spot -- with 54% of them getting 2 out of 3 questions correct. Watchers of the Lehrer News Hour on PBS followed just behind.

Virtually bringing up the rear were regular watchers of Fox News. Only 1 in 3 could answer 2 out of 3 questions correctly. Fox topped only network morning show viewers.

Told that Shia was one group of Muslims struggling in Iraq, only 32% of the total sample could name "Sunni" as the other key group.

The percentage of those who knew their state's governor dropped to 2 in 3. Almost half know that Rep. Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House and 2 in 3 know that Condi Rice is secretary of state. But just 29% can identify Scooter Libby, 21% know Robert Gates and 15% can name Sen. Harry Reid.

But nearly 9 in 10 knew about President Bush's troop escalation in Iraq.

Men scored higher than women, and older Americans did better than younger, on average. Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Republicans in the least aware group.

1 posted on 04/16/2007 2:57:38 PM PDT by Karl Rand
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To: Karl Rand
Take the test yourself. Here's my score: "You correctly answered 9 of the 9 possible questions along with approximately 4% of the public. You did better than 96% of the general public."

Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions What Americans Know: 1989-2007
2 posted on 04/16/2007 2:58:11 PM PDT by Karl Rand
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To: Karl Rand
Pew? You mean... phew
3 posted on 04/16/2007 3:02:45 PM PDT by johnny7 ("Issue in Doubt." -Col. David Monroe Shoup, USMC 1943)
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To: Karl Rand

You did much better than me. I scored 77% (I have always been a bad test taker) and I have never seen either of those two shows.


4 posted on 04/16/2007 3:05:17 PM PDT by Russ
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To: Karl Rand
Pew judged the levels of knowledgeability (correct answers) among those surveyed and found that those who scored the highest were regular watchers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Report

..that's real comforting

5 posted on 04/16/2007 3:06:22 PM PDT by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated)
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To: Karl Rand

I do enjoy the Colbert Report.


6 posted on 04/16/2007 3:07:18 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Peace without victory is a temporary illusion.)
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To: Karl Rand
Me too, and honestly I thought I had missed a few when I answered them.
7 posted on 04/16/2007 3:07:31 PM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
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To: Karl Rand

8 posted on 04/16/2007 3:08:49 PM PDT by Karl Rand
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To: Karl Rand

Well just damn. I got screwed. I missed “two” because there was one question which if answered incorrectly also nails you for getting a follow up wrong even though you never get asked the follow up.

The first question was a little obscure anyway I thought. Did Congress pass minimum wage increase? a- just the house. b- just the senate. c- passed both. d- passed neither.

And no- I did not answer “just the senate”!


9 posted on 04/16/2007 3:08:59 PM PDT by getitright (Liberalism is irresponsible.)
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To: Russ

I scored the same—77%, I’m embarrassed because I’m a real news junkie. The 2 I missed were related to the minimum wage question. I wasn’t following that story at all I guess.
I don’t watch Colbert or the Daily Show though. ALl my news comes from FR or FNC or both.


10 posted on 04/16/2007 3:09:12 PM PDT by mom4kittys (If velvet could sing, it would sound like Josh Groban)
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To: Doogle
knowledgeability?

..the author meant to say knowledge ability (correct spelling)...for those who have spell check and use it to get the (correct answers)

11 posted on 04/16/2007 3:09:37 PM PDT by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated)
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To: Karl Rand

If you go to the Pew site, you will see that Editor & Publisher left out the O’Reilly Factor and Limbaugh in the list of programs watched by the most knowledgeable.


12 posted on 04/16/2007 3:10:15 PM PDT by Retired Chemist
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To: Karl Rand

Good thing they didn’t include listeners of “Air America”, because there might have been some “ZEROS” included on the list.


13 posted on 04/16/2007 3:11:00 PM PDT by xmission (Dont isn't a strategy, Freedom isn't Free, Dems encourage our enemy,)
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To: Karl Rand

8 out of 9 for me. I missed the one about Hillary having declared her candidacy. I must have a mind block associated with anything Clintonian.


14 posted on 04/16/2007 3:11:07 PM PDT by saganite (Billions and billions and billions----and that's just the NASA budget!)
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To: Karl Rand

What a bizarrely misleading article. According to the Pew results on their web page:

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=319

... Rush Limbaugh and O’Reilly fans were right beside the Daily Show watchers, and were at the top of the list.

FOX news did not score significantly differently than did local TV news, network evening news, blogs or morning shows. CNN was only marginally better than FOX.


15 posted on 04/16/2007 3:11:21 PM PDT by Sandreckoner
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To: getitright

correct answer is e - it is in committee due to differences in what was passed by each.


16 posted on 04/16/2007 3:12:11 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Prevent Glo-Ball Warming ... turn out the sun when not in use)
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To: Karl Rand
Ha ha ha. Sure I believe this “survey”. If you do, I’ve got real estate in Venezuela for sale.
17 posted on 04/16/2007 3:13:08 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: Sandreckoner

“What a bizarrely misleading article.”

Bias by omission.


18 posted on 04/16/2007 3:13:33 PM PDT by Names Ash Housewares
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To: mom4kittys

Damn....me two...mess up the first of the MW questions and you get two wrong....

For a FNC girl I guess I did ok!


19 posted on 04/16/2007 3:14:12 PM PDT by hilaryrhymeswithrich (It's all about the swagger......)
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To: Russ

I scored 77 also. I think the ones I got wrong were the last 4 on the same page.
http://pewresearch.org/newsiq/quiz/index.php

What does a yellow light mean?


20 posted on 04/16/2007 3:14:44 PM PDT by hophead ("Enjoy Every Sandwich")
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