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POPSSubstantive Presidential Debates Are Hard to Find
Overall, 32% of the questions asked in debates were non-substantive; Only 9% of the questions concerned the economy. The debates hosted by PBS and Univision were the most substantive, with 100% and 82% substantive questions respectively. Fox and ABC hosted the least substantive debates; fewer than half the questions were substantive. The front-running candidates in both parties were more likely to be asked questions focused on trivia, while the candidates trailing badly in the polls were more likely to be asked substantive questions. For example, 73 percent of the questions posed to Dennis Kucinich were substantive, while only 51 percent of the questions given to Barack Obama were substantive, and only 59 percent of the questions for John McCain were substantive. Of those who moderated more than one debate, Salinas and Ramos of Univision asked the most substantive questions (88% and 73%, respectively). Chris Wallace of Fox (33%) asked the fewest substantive questions.
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