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Anxiety in political advertising

In this latest analysis, Assistant Professor of Government Bethany Albertson explains how candidates tap into voters’ emotions in political ads.

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In the Elections 2012 coverage on Know, experts from across The University of Texas at Austin weigh in on the politics and the issues, from the economy, the environment and demographics to immigration, energy, social change and more.

In this eighth conversation of our elections series, Assistant Professor Bethany Albertson discusses how political candidates use advertising to incite a range of emotions in voters and what voters can expect heading into the general election.

Learn more about our faculty experts:

Dr. Bethany Albertson is associate professor in the Department of Government. Her work explores political attitudes and persuasion. Her current research relies on surveys and experiments to examine the effect of religious appeals in American politics and the relationship between emotion and cognition, with a recent focus on the role of anxiety on attitudes towards immigration.

James Henson is a lecturer in the Department of Government and directs the Texas Politics Project, which seeks to educate students and Texans about state government, politics and history through a dynamic website and speaker series. It also conducts regular statewide issues and political polls. The Texas Politics Project is The University of Texas at Austin’s home for the UT/Texas Tribune Poll, a statewide survey of public opinion on issues and elections in Texas.

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