ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we contribute to the literature on the effects of specific debate elements by linking predebate attitudes, candidate statement types, and immediate viewer reactions at the individual level. More specifically, we investigate how the message function (acclaim, attack, or defense; Benoit, 2007) moderates the effect of the viewers’ political predispositions on candidate evaluations during the debates. Our analyses are based on two quasi-experimental studies that were conducted during the live broadcasts of two televised debates—one during the 2011 state election in Baden-Württemberg, a large southwestern state in Germany, and another during the 2013 general election in Germany. We developed an innovative multilevel framework that allows for modeling the effects of message characteristics, viewer characteristics, and the interaction between message and viewer characteristics on the individual viewers’ real-time candidate evaluations. The analytical framework allows us to go beyond the group-level analyses that are predominantly used for CRM data. We found supportive evidence for the reinforcing effect of attacks and mixed results for the moderating role of defenses. Moreover, the results highlight the importance of predebate viewer attitudes that were not yet fully recognized in group-level analyses of candidate evaluations.
