EFFECTS OF VIEWING A PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY DEBATE

Do televised debates between presidential candidates stimulate campaign interest and learning? This question can best be answered by controlling the problem of self-selection: The people who normally watch may already be interested in the presidential campaign. Since the self-selection problem may be most acute during the fall campaign, we chose to study the effects of the February 20, 1980, debate involving seven Republican candidates. Experimental group subjects were asked to watch the debate in exchange for a small payment, while two control groups were not. Key measurement took place during a “surprise” March wave where none of the groups had any advance warning that they would be interviewed. In March, Experimentals continued to learn more than controls about events occurring after the first interview, and they displayed greater interest in the Democratic race while maintaining their previously stronger interest in the Republicans.