Abstract
During the 2008 presidential election, 222 potential young voters (age 18- 24) participated in a study investigating the effects of their self-reported temperament, levels of political cynicism, perceptions of candidates' credibility, attraction, and issue competence on candidate preference before and after viewing television ads for Barack Obama and John McCain. Results indicate the temperament traits of conscientiousness and neuroticism are predictive of voters' political cynicism, perception of candidates' credibility, attraction, issue competence, and likelihood of supporting a particular candidate. In addition to these groundbreaking results, it was confirmed that even short term exposure to political spots produces changes in young voters' self-reported political cynicism and perceptions of candidates' credibility, and that voters' likelihood of voting for a candidate is mediated by levels of cynicism and perceptions of credibility. Discussion emphasizes the importance of inherited traits on individuals' participation in political processes.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Communication
Volume
45
Issue
1
First Page
64
Last Page
91
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Allen, Jerry L.; Park, Eun-A; Johnson, Danette lfert; O'Mara, Joan; Long, Kathleen M.; and Hickson, Mark III
(2013)
"Temperament, Cynicism, and the Effects of Advertising on Voters' Evaluation of Candidates,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 45:
No.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol45/iss1/7
Copyright
©2013 Iowa Communication Association
