Publication Type: Proceeding
Abstract: Candidates and campaign strategists believe negative campaigning works. However, scholars have been unable to consistently validate the claims of practitioners. To better understand how negative campaigning influences the electorate, it is necessary to consider the relevance and civility of negative messages. In our paper, we rely on an experimental research design embedded in a public opinion survey to examine people’s reactions to negative commercials. In the national survey of nearly than 700 respondents, we randomly exposed each respondent to one of six negative commercials. These commercials, based on actual commercials produced and aired during the 2004 election, varied in terms of the relevance and civility of the message. We find that citizens differentiate between negative advertisements in meaningful and consistent ways. Furthermore, the civility and relevance of the negative commercials significantly influences people’s evaluations of the targeted candidate along a variety of dimensions, including trait, affect, and issue dimensions. This study represents an important first step in understanding the impact of negative campaigning on potential voters.