Wendy Rahn
Impact of Media on Children


Rahn, Wendy M. and Rebecca M. Hirshorn. Forthcoming. "Political Advertising and Public
Mood: A Study of Children’s Political Orientations." Political Communication.


Theory. This study explores the impact of negative campaigning on children's political attitudes and their levels of "public mood." The researchers test four hypotheses. The first is that political advertising will affect children's emotional reactions about the country; i.e., public mood. The second hypothesis is that their political attitudes will also be changed. The third concerns enthusiasm for voting; children who view negative ads are expected to be demobilized and thus less likely to vote. The final hypothesis posits an interaction effect between feelings of political efficacy and exposure to negative ads.

Design. The researchers go with an experimental design as opposed to a survey instrument. The latter, they argue, would fail to measure accurately children's level of exposure to the media in which they were interested; i.e., political advertisements. In order to account for change, the researchers have decided on a pre-test/post-test design.

Measurement. Data were collected in the summer of 1994 at the Dane County Fair in Madison, Wisconsin. Approximately seventy children participated in the study. They were shown either positive or negative ads from the 1988 presidential campaign. The average age of the participants was eleven; most of the children had completed fourth grade. Survey questions were meant to assess the children's political knowledge (six questions) and their public mood (three questions).

Data Analysis. Simple mean comparisons were used to determine whether there were differences between the children who had seen positive and negative ads. The other hypotheses were tested with multiple regression analysis.

Interpretation. The researchers find that the ads affect children's feelings as well as their political attitudes. But negative political advertising, they conclude, does not simply have a demobilizing impact on children's enthusiasm for voting. Instead they provide evidence for an interaction effect where the impact of an ad is mediated by the child's feeling of efficacy.

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