2002/07/01 by C. J. Pattie, Charles Pattie, R. J. Johnston +1
Social Sciences · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Media Studies and Communication #Social Media and Politics
paper · doi:10.1080/01957470290055538
openalex publication_date 2002/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Although paid television and radio political advertising is banned in the United Kingdom, parties fielding sufficient candidates are entitled to free air time during election campaigns for a fixed number of party election broadcasts (PEBs). Over the years, parties have experimented with a variety of different PEB formats. But the impact of PEBs on voters is underresearched. This article therefore analyzes the influence of PEB viewing in the 1997 British General Election. Though a majority do not view PEBs, those who do are influenced by them, especially in terms of their evaluations of parties and their leaders: Other things being equal, viewers of a party's PEBs become more favorably disposed to the party and its leader than those who do not see the broadcast. Labour and Conservative PEBs have no impact on vote intentions, however. But viewers of Liberal Democrat broadcasts become more likely to support that party. We speculate that this reflects different background levels of media exposure for the major parties as compared to the third party.