An Exploration of Voter Responses to Political Advertisements

Abstract Abstract This study was designed to investigate the reactions of voters to political advertisements. Using the 1988 presidential campaign as the focus, advertisements were developed for both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Results suggest that the use of comparative (sponsor-positive and opponent-negative) or simple opponent-negative political ads produces negative reactions from voters, reflects negatively on the ad sponsor, and has little impact upon the opposing candidate when compared to sponsor-positive ads. Further, data from the attitude toward the ad measures suggest that comparative and opponent-negative ads may convey an image of the political process that is consistent with voters' negative perceptions, and may be perceived as entertaining. Implications for future political advertising campaigns and research are discussed.