Effects of Political Information in the 2000 Presidential Campaign

Abstract

Growing use of the Internet in political campaigns raises questions about the relative impact of traditional media and the Internet on voters. This experimental study tested the effectiveness of exposure to advertising, debates, and news from the 2000 presidential campaign on television and via the Internet. Results suggested that Internet exposure resulted in higher evaluations for both Bush and Gore but that the debates were the only format in which substantial differences were observed. Traditional television and Internet exposures also resulted in differences in the stimulation of information seeking and political behaviors. However, the Internet did not demonstrate universal superiority over television in lessening levels of political cynicism.