Does Negativity Pay Off? The Impact of Political Party Attributes on the Use and Performance of Negative Campaigning in Digital Political Advertising

Hanna Paulke, Simon Kruschinski, Márton Bene, Jörg Haßler, Daniel Jackson, Darren Lilleker, Melanie Magin, Uta Russmann, Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Computational Social Science, Data Services for the Social Sciences, Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Department for Political Behavior, ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, The Media School, Bournemouth University, Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Department of Media, Society and Communication, Universität Innsbruck

Social Science Computer Review

Published online on July 17, 2026

Abstract

Social Science Computer Review, Ahead of Print.
While research has shown how different political actors adapt engagement-triggering strategies in organic election campaigns on social media platforms, we know little about how such strategies are used in paid political advertising and how they affect ...