Not Too Negative: How Framing Political Attack Advertising Influences Economic Attitudes
Not Too Negative: How Framing Political Attack Advertising Influences Economic Attitudes

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the effectiveness of lexical word choices, which frame an American political attack advertisement in terms of economic gain or loss. Additionally, the attack ad is framed as affecting one’s own pocketbook versus societal financial well-being. Couched within a professionally produced political attack advertisement about a financial scandal, this experiment found the gain condition to negatively influence perceptions of national economic well-being. Additionally, framing of the attack advertisement as affecting one's own personal finances increased perceptions of bankruptcy in the nation more than when it was framed as a societal issue. The experiment broadens the usage of gain and loss framing in design while examining financial perceptions of both self and society. Findings contend that these different framing devices influence economic evaluations, which have potential to alter political attitudes in response to the political attack advertisement. The study highlights the implications of effective attack advertising on attitudes of voting citizens.

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