Negative Advertising and Voter Choice: The Role of Ads in Candidate Selection

Selecting between two candidates during a campaign is a crucial first step toward political involvement: an individual who does not select a preferred political candidate is unlikely to take political action. Can negative campaign ads help individuals make these electoral choices? Empirical evidence on this topic has been mixed. Some argue that negativity can increase the likelihood of choice. Others show that negativity will decrease the likelihood of choice by turning individuals away from the polls. Integrating theories from social psychology and political science I argue and show that under specific conditions, negativity increases the likelihood that an individual will make a candidate selection. Further, I differentiate between the tone and substance of ads to show that negativity has a unique effect on choice.