Uticaj sadržaja argumenata na pojavu bumerang-efekta negativnih političkih reklama

Abstract

Bumerang-efekat negativnih političkih reklama je neželjeni efekat u kome se negativno izjašnjavanje o protivničkoj strani nepovoljnije odražava na samog sponzora nego na metu negativne reklame. Inkonzistentnost prethodnih nalaza o pojavi bumerang-efekta negativnih političkih reklama ukazuje na potrebu za rasvetljavanjem pojave bumerang-efekta i opravdanosti stigmatizacije negativnih političkih reklama. Cilj studije jeste da se ispita uticaj sadržaja argumenata štampanih negativnih političkih reklama na pojavu bumerang-efekta kod situaciono visokopolitički involviranih glasača koji, inače, nisu trajno politički involvirani. Pojava bumerang-efekta ispitivana je u svetlu Modela verovatnoće obrade. Primenjen je eksperimentalni dizajn 2 (status kandidata: sponzor - meta reklame) x 2 (sadržaj argumenta negativne političke reklame: politička platforma - lične karakteristike mete reklame). Potvrđena je pojava bumerang-efekta, kako za argumente koji se odnose na političku platformu, tako i za argumente negativne političke reklame koji se odnose na lične karakteristike kandidata. Veći bumerang-efekat je dobijen za argumente zasnovane na političkoj platformi mete. Treba naglasiti da su i sponzor i meta niže evaluirani na osnovu reklame s ličnim karakteristikama mete. Dobijeni nalazi potvrđuju da u političkoj persuazivnoj komunikaciji ne treba primenjivati negativne reklame, posebno ne strategiju negativnog evociranja ličnih karakteristika protivničkih kandidata (meta), ne samo zbog bumerang-efekta već i zbog šireg negativnog efekta na glasače.

The so-called 'boomerang effect' of negative political advertising is an unwanted backlash effect of a negative statement about the opponent that reflects more unfavourably on the sponsor than the intended target of such a negative ad. The inconsistency of previous findings on the appearance of the boomerang effect of negative political advertisements calls for shedding new light on the 'boomerang effect' and the justification of the stigmatization of negative political advertisements themselves. The aim of the study is to examine the effect of the content of arguments of printed negative political ads on the 'boomerang effect' in voters with high levels of situational political involvement, who are in general not politically involved. The emerging of the boomerang effect was analysed by using the Elaboration Likelihood Model. An experimental design 2 (candidate status: sponsor - target of the ad) x 2 (content of the argument of a negative political ad: political platform - personal characteristics of the target) has been applied. The boomerang effect has been confirmed, both for the arguments relating to the political platform and the arguments of a negative political ad related to the personal characteristics of the candidates. The boomerang effect was stronger for the arguments based upon the political platform of the target. In addition, both the sponsor and the target were evaluated less favourably based on the negative ad with the personal characteristics of the target. The obtained findings confirm that in political persuasive communication one should not apply negative ads, especially not the strategy of evoking personal characteristics of the political opponents (targets) in negative connotation, not just due to the boomerang effect, but also due to the overall negative effect on the voters in general.