More people are turning to cable news for information about the 2012 presidential campaign than other forms of media, according to Pew Research Center's News Interest Index.
The quadrennial study, which was released on Tuesday, demonstrated how cable news has steadily maintained its audience for the past twelve years. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they "regularly learn about the campaign" from cable news networks. During previous campaign years, most respondents regularly learned about presidential races from local television news. Local telelvision news fell 40 percent from the last presidential campaign.
The study also surveyed participants' cable news preferences based on political party affiliation. Cable news is a main source for campaign coverage for 45 percent of Republican respondents. Fox News is the likely destination for 36 percent of Republicans.
Slightly more Republicans turn to cable news as a main source for campaign coverage than Democrats. Of the Democrats surveyed, 41 percent turn to cable news as a main source. They are also more likely to watch CNN than MSNBC. According to the study, 26 percent of Democrat respondents are likely to rely on CNN for campaign coverage, and 17 percent are more likely to rely on MSNBC.
Overall, the study found that the 2012 presidential race is generating less interest among Democrats and young people under the age of 30 than in 2008.
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