Work

Personal attacks or policy debates? How voters respond to negative campaign messaging

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Previous research suggests the effects of negative campaigning are highly conditional on country context and the specific messages that are used. In this paper, we present an experiment on negative campaigning in an unexamined context in which existing studies could point to differing outcomes. We examine the effect of attacks placed in campaign leaflets on a candidate’s personal traits and policy positions in Great Britain. Unlike prior studies, our treatments are contrast ads and not purely negative ads. While the inclusion of positive messaging from the sponsor could increase voters’ parasocial relationship with the candidate, shielding them from backlash, the results from our experiment suggest that British voters view attacks on personal traits as too negative and lower their evaluation of the sponsor as a result.

Source: European Journal of Political Research

DOI: 10.1017/s1475676525100418

Authors: Alan Duggan, Caitlin Milazzo, Harry Applestein, John Barry Ryan

Institutions: University of Nottingham, Stony Brook University, University of Michigan

Language: English

Topic: Electoral Systems and Political Participation

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550

Funder: Trinity College Dublin