Paris Hilton’s travels to and from the barred hotel last week captivated a good-sized audience, but not as much as some might have thought.

According to a recurring News Interest Index survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 12 percent of adults followed the Hilton affair more closely than any other single news topic. She beat presidential campaign coverage (11 percent) and the G-8 Summit (6 percent).

However, restoring confidence in the collective intellect of the country, Hilton was topped by the focus on Iraq, which 25 percent of respondents said they paid the most attention to, and immigration (17 percent).

And Hilton is no O.J. While 34 percent of those surveyed said they paid attention closely or very closely to the Hilton news, The Juice got a 77 percent rating in his heyday back in June 1994. Even Don Imus did better when he was fired recently, capturing the attention of 55 percent of people.

The full survey results are here.