Do attack Ads work?
Expert Answer
Attack ads often form part of negative campaigning or smear campaigns, and in large or well- financed campaigns, may be disseminated via mass media. An attack ad will generally criticize an opponent’s political platform, usually by pointing out its faults and contrasting them against its own platform.
Attack ads do work because there has been a fairly consistent increase in the use of attack ads in the last 20-30 years which makes us believe they are effective.