About one in 10 people who watched the presidential debate last week were two-screen viewers, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Dual-screen viewers skewed younger, with 22% of those under 40 following the debate live both on TV and online via a computer or mobile device.
Overall, 85% of viewers watched the debate on TV only.
Looking at social media use, only about a third of those who viewed the debate in real time online—5% of the overall debate audience—say they shared their own reactions to the debate online. That includes 8% of live debate watchers younger than 40 and 5% of those 40-to-65.
About a third (36%) of Americans got any debate coverage online or from social networking sites, with many more (78%) getting coverage from traditional sources including TV, newspapers, or radio. Again, younger people tended to rely on digital sources more heavily—about half (51%) of those under 40 followed debate coverage online or through social sites, compared with 70