Effects of Attitudes Toward Political Advertising in the 2006 Senatorial and Gubernatorial Elections in Ohio, U.S.A.

This study investigates how an individual’s attitudes toward the content of political advertisements influences how likely he/she is to vote. Data for this study come from a survey study conducted during the 2006 midterm elections in Ohio, which featured competitive races for governor and senator, as well as ballot issues on smoking and the legalization of casino gambling. The results suggest that voters’ subjective attitudes toward political advertisements play an important role in political campaigns. Key Words: Political Advertising, Negative Advertising, Voting, Backlash Effects, Attitudes JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 4, No. 1, April 2012, 93 – 102 © Delmas Communications Ltd. About the authors *Yung-I Liu is with the School of Communication, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, MU210, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, U.S.A. **Leo Jeffres is with the School of Communication, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, MU 253, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, U.S.A.