The Moderating Influence of Political Involvement on Voters' Attitudes toward Attack Ads

The purpose of this study was to determine whether voters' attitudes toward political ads are moderated by their level of political involvement. Two studies were conducted, both during national and state elections. The results were consistent. Low-involvement voters view political ads in general, and negative "attack" ads in particular, more favorably than do individuals who are highly involved with politics. In contrast, voters who are highly involved with politics are more skeptical of political ads, even those that promote their preferred candidate. As a result, among high-involvement individuals, the use of attack ads might be counterproductive.