Analysis: Our Studies, Commentaries and Backgrounders

This section, Analysis, is the complete archive of all the research studies, commentaries, background reports, articles, or speeches PEJ has published. They are listed below in chronological order, but our archive is also searchable. Use the menus on the left to filter the contents and find exactly what you want.
  • Winning the Media Campaign 2012

    Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both received more negative than positive coverage from the news media in the eight weeks since the conventions, but Obama has had an edge overall, a new PEJ study finds. The report also examines how the candidates fared in different media outlets, the tone of the conversation on social media and offers comparisons to 2008 campaign coverage.
  • Internet Gains Most as Campaign News Source but Cable TV Still Leads:Social Media Doubles, but Remains Limited

    As the presidential election enters the last lap, where are people going to learn about the campaign and the candidates? A new PEJ survey finds an increasingly diverse ecosystem for political news.
  • Social Media Debate Sentiment Less Critical of Obama than Polls and Press Are

    The reaction to the first presidential debate was better for Barack Obama in social media than in the traditional press, where the consensus was that Mitt Romney had won handily. But the sentiment differed by social media platform and generally criticism was more plentiful than praise.
  • Future of Mobile News

    The percent of Americans with mobile access to the internet has jumped dramatically in the last year—a trend that has major implications for the news industry. A new survey of news use on mobile devices by PEJ in collaboration with The Economist Group examines how tablets and smartphones have changed news consumption habits and what that might mean for the future of news.
  • How Social and Traditional Media Differ in Treatment of the Conventions and Beyond

    During what may prove a key period in the race for president, the candidates received very different treatment on Twitter, Facebook and blogs than in the mainstream media, a new PEJ study finds. The candidates each enjoyed a bounce in mainstream media treatment during their conventions. By contrast, social media showed little change, and the discourse was highly negative.
  • How People Get Local News and Information in Different Communities

    Depending on the local news topic, urban residents are more likely to use mobile and online sources, while suburbanites are most heavily into social media and rural residents are more inclined to word of mouth sources. A joint PEJ-Pew Internet report offers more about how people get local news in specific communities.
  • The Master Character Narratives in Campaign 2012

    On the eve of the conventions, the portrayal in the news media of the character and records of the two presidential contenders in 2012 has been as negative as any campaign in recent times, and neither candidate has enjoyed any advantage over the other.
  • How the Presidential Candidates Use the Web and Social Media

    On the eve of the conventions, Barack Obama holds a distinct advantage over Mitt Romney in the way his campaign is using digital technology to communicate directly with voters. The Obama campaign is posting almost four times as much content and is active on nearly twice as many platforms, according to a new study analyzing the content and volume of candidate communications on their websites and social media channels.
  • For Communication Grads, a Modest Job Recovery

    What’s the job market like for 2011 mass communication and journalism graduates? According to a new survey from the University of Georgia, there was an uptick in the percentage of bachelor degree recipients who found jobs and, for the first time in years, a small increase in their salaries. But the overall picture is far from rosy.
  • On Twitter, Verdict on Paterno Unchanged by Freeh Report, NCAA

    The conversation on Twitter about the Penn State scandal has shifted focus over the last month from the man convicted of sexual abuse to the school and then to the NCAA. But one constant in the conversation has not budged—views of Joe Paterno.