This week, as stated before in Week 8, I will address negative, political advertisements from a psychological perspective. According to the text of "Social Psychology and Human Nature," many voters do not appreciate negative advertising. So the next logical question is, "why do they exist and why do they work?"
Most research reveals mixed results concerning negative ads in political ads. According to the book, most candidates who use their opponents negative attributes are behind in the polls. Contradictorily, Bennett, the Colorado Democrat, and Buck, the Colorado Republican are both using negative ads in their race for the Senate seat. According to research this is because when candidates are so close, they use negativity to get ahead. The goal is to reduce the number of people who vote for the other party.
If a person is not sure what to believe about their party's candidate, they are less likely to vote. Many people don't have time to watch debates and are dependent on the commercials they see. If they are unsure who is right or wrong, they are less likely to vote because then they feel they are not accountable for the politicians future actions. Ultimately, negative advertising in political ads are used as scare tactics... and they work.
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