Explicit and Implicit Effects of Attacking the Electorate of the Opposite Party

Inspired by an incident that happened some years ago during the Italian elections, the current research investigated the effects of a specific case of negative campaigning: attacks against the electorate of the opposite party. Participants were presented with an alleged candidate of the opposing party and several statements that he ostensibly said during his last campaign. In one condition, the candidate promoted his own political agenda. In the other two conditions, the candidate attacked either his opposing candidate or the electorate supporting his opponent. Results showed that an attack against the electorate had opposite effects on implicit versus explicit political identification, but only when pre-existing political attitudes were weak. Specifically, an attack against the electorate increased explicit identification, but decreased implicit identification, among participants with weak implicit attitudes toward their own political party. The results highlight the importance of distinguishing between different types of negative campaigns and the significance of implicit measures in political psychology.