Google Zeitgeist Special Edition - Election 2004
Search patterns, trends, and surprises

As the last week before the election winds down, the search results for Google News offer a bit of insight into people's campaign interests.
 

Monthly results: George Bush vs. John Kerry

 
We compared total searches by month for each candidate from January through September.

Searches for George Bush. Searches for John Kerry.		  

Zeitgeist Explained
The term "zeitgeist" comes from the German "Zeit" meaning "time" and "Geist" meaning "spirit". The term is defined in English by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary as "the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era."

Contact:
Daniel Lemin
(650) 623-4405
dlemin@google.com

Between now and the end of the election, we'll publish daily lists of popular political queries from Google News. These lists represent the prior 24-hour period.
Popular Political Queries
October 27, 2004

     1. camilo mejia

     2. polls

     3. john kerry

     4. bill clinton

     5. iraq

     6. george bush

     7. margaret hassan

     8. pakistan

     9. richard nixon

   10. afghanistan
Popular Campaign Issues
October 28, 2004

     1. iraq

     2. halliburton

     3. stem cell research

     4. gay marriage

     5. global warming

News searches for
presidential candidates

John Kerry vs. George Bush vs. Ralph Nader
Popular Political and Campaign Queries
October 29, 2004

     1. camilo mejia

     2. osama bin laden tape

     3. iraq

     4. john kerry

     5. iran

     6. george bush

     7. missing explosives

     8. halliburton

     9. azzam the american

   10. schilling-bush
Popular Campaign Issues
October 30, 2004

     1. iraq

     2. economy

     3. pollution

     4. stem cell research

     5. gay marriage

News searches for
celebrities associated
with campaigns

Eminem vs. Bruce Springsteen vs. Bill O'Reilly vs. Michael Moore vs. Charlie Brooker
Popular Election-Related Queries - Oct. 31, 2004

     1. presidential polls

     2. zogby poll

     3. electoral college

     4. election polls

     5. florida election result 2004
Popular Election Eve Queries - November 1, 2004

     1. where to vote

     2. dixville notch

     3. presidential election
         lesson plan

     4. electoral college map

     5. importance of voting

     6. election predictions

     7. vice president election
         2004

     8. early voting

     9. swing states

   10. early voting results
Popular Media Queries
November 2, 2004

     1. cnn

     2. fox news

     3. msnbc

     4. bbc news

     5. new york times

     6. abc news

     7. washington post

     8. cbs news

     9. drudge report

   10. associated press

More from the Google Zeitgeist...

Archived Zeitgeist information available here.
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Updated: Nov. 3, 2004

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