Lithuania Was the Story of the Month

The struggle for independence in Lithuania is the news story that Americans say they followed most closely in March, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the phenomenon that seemed to register the most public recognition, a survey released today has found.

About one in three Americans said they “very closely followed” news accounts of the efforts in Lithuania to gain independence from the Soviet Union, according to the Times Mirror News Interest Index, a monthly survey of public response to the news. Moreover, Americans once again overwhelmingly cited international news as more important in March than domestic news.

The next most closely watched story last month, monitored by 28% of Americans, was the death of 87 people in a fire at a New York City social club, followed by the death of basketball player Hank Gathers (26%), and the NCAA playoffs (24%).

And 23% of Americans closely monitored the legislative attempt in Idaho to restrict abortions.

However, attempts by a leading congressional Democrat to criticize President Bush for failing to provide leadership in relation to Eastern Europe failed to register much with the American electorate. Only 20% of Americans were able to identify House Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt as the Democrat who had criticized Bush. More people, 25%, thought it was Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Nearly six in 10 Americans could identify former National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter, who was on trial for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, the survey found. By contrast, only two in 10 could identify Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan. And, interestingly, Farrakhan’s recognition was below half even among blacks. Only 43% could identify him.

But the figures Americans seemed to be paying the most attention to in March were cartoon characters, not real people.

For instance, an extraordinary 74% of Americans said they had “heard a lot recently” about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, characters from children’s toys now featured in a Hollywood movie.

The survey, in which 1,212 adults were interviewed between April 5 and 6, has a statistical margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points and is also subject to bias caused by the way the questions are asked.

Mutant Turtles were not the only cartoon characters that fared well. Pop singer Madonna, who is starring in a new movie about comic strip hero Dick Tracy, had the distinction of tying in public attention with the The Simpsons, cartoon characters now featured in a new prime time television program. Both registered 44%.

Two-thirds of those surveyed said they knew that Exxon Valdez Captain Joseph T. Hazelwood had been found “not guilty” of the major charges against him in the Alaskan oil spill.

But only 13% knew the significance of April 22, Earth Day.

Economic issues again received fairly scant public attention. Only 17% very closely followed discussions between American and Japanese governments over trade and only 10% very closely followed Illinois Democratic Rep. Dan Rostenkowski’s budget deficit proposals.

About the only thing that seemed to rival the Mutant Ninja Turtles in public recognition in March was a vegetable. An extraordinary 76% of those surveyed could name the particular sprout President Bush announced he would no longer eat.

The answer: broccoli, of course.