The Impact of Negative Political Advertisements: Perceptions and Realities

Abstract

Past research on negative political advertisements has focused primarily on how these ads impact voter turnout, voter evaluations of candidates, and the democratic process as a whole. This research attempts to expand the body of knowledge by examining the phenomenon of negative political advertising using a mixed-methods approach. By examining 2002 and 2004 Congressional candidates' negative ad content, this research seeks to determine if a candidate's gender impacts message content. Findings indicate that a candidate's gender does indeed impact the type of content found in a negative advertisement. Next, an experiment was created to determine if the gender of a candidate impacts the viewer's perception of negativity in the ad. Significant findings indicate that gender of a political candidate does alter a viewer's perception of negativity. Finally, professional campaign consultants were asked to respond to a series of questions in an attempt to gain a practical understanding of negativity in political advertising. A comparison between consultants' responses and academicians' research was completed, finding that in most cases these groups agree on the impacts of negative advertisements. However, a key gender gap finding indicates one major exception to the general consensus. The significant findings in this research expand our understanding of negative political advertising, and contribute to the field of political science.