TY - JOUR
T1 - Do negative messages work? The impact of negativity on citizens' evaluations of candidates
AU - Fridkin, Kim
AU - Kenney, Patrick
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2004/9
Y1 - 2004/9
N2 - We examine the effectiveness of negative campaigning. Specifically, we focus on the question, Do negative campaign messages alter citizens' evaluations of competing candidates? We rely on a research design that replicates the campaign environment for nearly 100 Senate elections involving thousands of voters. Furthermore, we utilize a theoretical framework that sheds light on how negative information influences people's social judgments. In general, the results suggest that negative messages delivered in a legitimate fashion and focusing on a relevant topic depress evaluations of opponents. In contrast, negative messages containing irrelevant information delivered in an overly strident manner depress evaluations of both candidates involved in the campaign. In addition, the findings indicate that the impact of negative messages varies depending on (a) the status of the candidate delivering the message, (b) the characteristics of the citizens receiving the message, and (c) the style of the candidates' criticisms (e.g., policy vs. personal attacks).
AB - We examine the effectiveness of negative campaigning. Specifically, we focus on the question, Do negative campaign messages alter citizens' evaluations of competing candidates? We rely on a research design that replicates the campaign environment for nearly 100 Senate elections involving thousands of voters. Furthermore, we utilize a theoretical framework that sheds light on how negative information influences people's social judgments. In general, the results suggest that negative messages delivered in a legitimate fashion and focusing on a relevant topic depress evaluations of opponents. In contrast, negative messages containing irrelevant information delivered in an overly strident manner depress evaluations of both candidates involved in the campaign. In addition, the findings indicate that the impact of negative messages varies depending on (a) the status of the candidate delivering the message, (b) the characteristics of the citizens receiving the message, and (c) the style of the candidates' criticisms (e.g., policy vs. personal attacks).
KW - Candidate evaluations
KW - Mudslinging
KW - Negative campaigning
KW - Senate elections
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=4243099339&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=4243099339&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1532673X03260834
DO - 10.1177/1532673X03260834
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:4243099339
SN - 1532-673X
VL - 32
SP - 570
EP - 605
JO - American Politics Research
JF - American Politics Research
IS - 5
ER -