This chart shows that viewership, as a percentage of the number of US population, has generally declined since 1976, when debates resumed after the inaugural debates in 1960. The notable exception: 1980, when Ronald Reagan challenged President Jimmy Carter.
No debate has come close to matching that watching the first Kennedy-Nixon debate; Neilsen estimates that about 77 million Americans —- 60 percent of the adult population -- tuned in.
For this chart, I chose the first debate between the candidates, if there was more than one.
The "percent population" is my measurement, not one used by the TV industry. Because it is a gross figure -- percent of entire population based on census data -- it underestimates the percentage of adults watching the debates.
No debate has come close to matching that watching the first Kennedy-Nixon debate; Neilsen estimates that about 77 million Americans —- 60 percent of the adult population -- tuned in.
For this chart, I chose the first debate between the candidates, if there was more than one.
The "percent population" is my measurement, not one used by the TV industry. Because it is a gross figure -- percent of entire population based on census data -- it underestimates the percentage of adults watching the debates.