The paper explores the contextual effect of negative campaign on voter turnout. While existing studies fail to reach an agreement over the impact of negativity on electoral participation, they rarely take the personality traits into account. We argue ...
The paper explores the contextual effect of negative campaign on voter turnout. While existing studies fail to reach an agreement over the impact of negativity on electoral participation, they rarely take the personality traits into account. We argue that (de)mobilizing effect of media negativity depends on the individual characteristics that effects political participation. By taking the comprehensive conception of personality traits, the Big Five factor, into experimental design, we explain individual difference in the face of negative campaigning. Particularly, eligible voters high in extraversion and conscientiousness are more likely to vote only when they see positive messages. Negative message increases the intention to vote among eligible voters who are open to experience.