Political Stereotypes

This article triggered my interest right from the very beginning. I have always found great interest in studies that explain the way political propaganda actually effects the average voter in their decision to vote for the candidate they eventually decide to support. This article took this situation a step further and discussed the effects these negative political ads had on people my age or “Generation Y.” The study discussed in this article specifically took a look at the 2008 election cycle which was a matchup between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. The study looked at the impact of campaign messaging, more specifically, political advertising, on various forms of political participation and knowledge. The conclusion of the study decided that negative advertisements are credited to a source of learning and mobilization for adults, but when it comes to “Generation Y” the effects of these advertisements are less positive and far more complex. The end conclusion discussed that the negativity in campaign ads reduces political consumption in adolescents while also reducing interest in …show more content…
They used quantitative numbers from surveys of parents and children in over 738 surveys to come up with the final answer to the questions discussed. The national panel named the Future Voter Survey interviewed adolescents aged 12 to 17 and their parents. Through a 4 page mailed questionnaire that was sent out during two main stretches of the 2008 campaign, the conclusion was made that adults consumption of negative advertising increases participation in political activities, while adolescent consumption of these negative ads decreased future willingness to participate in other politically related activities. Participants were asked to rate a statement on a 1-5 numerical scale with statements that ranged from “I am interested in politics”, to “I often consume information from mass media news