ABSTRACT
This chapter considers several unintended effects of political advertising, takes stock of scholarly evidence that speaks to several claims that have been made about advertising. Campaign advertising can certainly be important in imparting knowledge about a candidate to voters, but it also may influence their broader impressions of the candidate's campaign. Political advertising supplies considerable policy-specific information—more than one might expect—and thus there's a real possibility for voters to learn something from political advertising. Yet a careful examination of the existing scholarly evidence about the unintended effects of political advertising paints a much different picture. In order to hold politicians accountable for their behaviors—whether think negative advertising is good or bad—citizens must accurately perceive the tone of ads that those politicians are airing. In addition, exposure to advertising, even negative advertising, appears to have few negative impacts on people's trust in the government or politicians.
