Pew Research - Two Decades of American News Preferences
Two Decades of American News Preferences - Part 2: News Interest across Decades and "News Eras" by Michael J. Robinson, special to the Pew Research Center, August 22, 2007
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Trends Across Decades
"Public interest in news has changed slightly over the last two decades, but in a manner that suggests no meaningful trend. The average reading for the Pew News Interest Index did slip during the 1990s from 30% to 23%, a seemingly noteworthy decrease that represents nearly a fourth of the original level. Had the index continued to slide as much in the new millennium, that change would have suggested a trend of potentially great import. But in the current decade the index has bounced back to precisely its level during the 1980s: 30%."
