Esther Thorson, Michigan State University Samuel M. Tham, Michigan State University Weiyue Chen, Michigan State University
Theorized here is what happens to attention to political advertisements during political races when there are times of high news salience (e.g., debates) or breaking news (e.g., scandals) relevant to the election. Ad attention can be disrupted by competition with attention to the news, or the increased attention to news may increase orientation to the ads, resulting in higher self-reported exposure. Advertising exposure during the six weeks before the U.S. presidential election is tested with a rolling cross section sample of 100 people each day, allowing application of stringent controls for demographics, political interest, and partisanship. There is strong support for the enhancement explanation of news effects on political advertising attention.
Sunday March 25, 2018 10:15am - 11:45am EDT
Financial 3
