The conditions of acceptance and rejection of negative campaign in the 2014 presidential election

Abstract:

The article aims to evaluate the reception of negative propaganda in the 2014 Brazilian presidential election, having as a theoretical framework the discussion derived from the international literature. These studies maintain that the reception of negative propaganda varies according to the topic under debate, the use of evidence or not, the type of the speaker and whether it is done in a comparative or direct way. We measure the reception of negative campaign from four focus groups held with voters from Rio de Janeiro, who were encouraged to evaluate attacks displayed in the Horário Gratuito de Propaganda Eleitoral (Prime Time Electoral Propaganda). The results indicate that negative message with political content, backed by evidence that supports the content of the allegations and in a comparative way, is the most accepted model of attacks among Brazilian voters.

Key-words:
elections; electoral campaign; negative campaign; HGPE