Searches on Sunday for Osama bin Laden spiked nearly 100,000% on Yahoo!, but many teens were looking up who he was, according to new data.
Nearly 1 in 5 searches on Yahoo for “osama bin laden” are by teenagers, many of whom grew up during the war on terrorism.
25% of searches overall for Osama came from those under 24, Yahoo reported.
Every single state in the nation showed heightened search volume on Yahoo! for “osama bin laden,” led by North Dakota, Arizona, Montana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Idaho, and South Dakota.
Behind the man
Besides searches for confirmation of his death, we saw searches spike off the charts for Osama bin Laden’s biography, age, height, wife, and children.
Searches on Yahoo! for “is it Usama or Osama?” also spiked off the charts. The day’s events also caused a surge of questions around the declared No. 1 terrorist mastermind.
According to Yahoo!, The Top Searched Questions on Osama bin Laden are (based on Sunday, 5/1):
1. Is Osama bin Laden dead?
2. How did Osama bin Laden die?
3. Who killed Osama bin Laden?
4. How old is Osama bin Laden
5. Who is Osama bin Laden
6. Where was Osama bin Laden killed?
7. Is Osama bin Laden dead or alive?
8. How tall is Osama bin Laden?
Younger Generation
News of Osama bin Laden’s death seemed to have struck a chord with younger folks who grew up during the war on terrorism.
• On Yahoo!, 1 in 3 searches for “how did osama bin laden die” on Sunday were from teens ages 13-17.
• According to Yahoo!, 40% of searches on Sunday for “who killed osama bin laden” were from people ages 13-20.
• However, it seems teens ages 13-17 were seeking more information as they made up 66% of searches for “who is osama bin laden?”
President Obama
In addition to searches for President Obama’s speech and address, there is interest on Yahoo! in how these events will affect his approval rating. Searches on Sunday for his approval rating spiked 119% on Yahoo!.
• The former President was not forgotten. A few looked up “George W. Bush” (466% fewer searches than for “barack obama”) and even the phrase “bush mission accomplished.”
Locations
People are very curious for details about Pakistan. Searches on Sunday for “Pakistan map” spiked 2,594% and searches for “Pakistan news” spiked 610% on Yahoo!.
• Searches on Yahoo! spiked off the charts for “Islamabad” (the capital of Pakistan), Abbottadbad
• Specific searches spiked on Yahoo! for “osama bin laden compound,” “osama bin laden mansion” and “osama bin laden hideout.”
Revisiting 9/11 and Patriotism
Searches for “September 11th” spiked 1,009% on Sunday. Searches also spiked for patriotic landmarks and symbols such as the “US Flag” which was up 717% on Yahoo! and searches for the “Star Spangled Banner lyrics” which spiked 222%, mostly by females who made up 64% of searches.
• Exactly one in two searches for “US flag” on Yahoo! today are by adults ages 35-54.
• Searches on Yahoo! for “Patriotic songs” are spiking off the charts today.
• Searches have also spiked for Ground Zero, the Twin Towers, and the World Trade Center.
• Searches on Yahoo! also spiked off the charts for the 9/11 death toll and memorials.
Conspiracy Theories
News of Osama bin Laden’s death seems to have caused a spiked for conspiracy theories (up 114% Sunday on Yahoo!) as well as a resurgence of searches for “9/11 conspiracy theories.” Searches for “conspiracy theories” are split evenly amongst males and females, but 35% or 1 in 3 searches for the term are by teenagers ages 13-17.
Source: www.yahoo.com
