QUALITY VERSUS QUANTITY IN TELEVISED POLITICAL ADS

Political candidates have relied increasingly on television advertising over the past decade, with expenditures by major office-seekers reaching $34 million in the 1970 campaigns.1 While a number of election analysts and advertising practitioners argue that these televised appeals have a major impart on the mass public, many social scientists feel that few voters are actually affected. This study examines how voters use political advertising, focusing on patterns of exposure and attention, information acquisition, and voting intentions.