The authors posit that 2 distinct perceptual dimensions underlie the third-
person effect hypothesis: judgments of susceptibility to communications (a
cognitive process) and severity of communications (an affective process). T
o explore this, 194 adults were asked (a) to estimate their own and others'
susceptibility to various types of advertising content and the severity of
such advertising's effects on themselves and others, and (b) to express th
eir willingness to censor these classes of commercials. The advertising con
tent fell into 2 broad categories: controversial products (cigarettes, liqu
or and beer) and gambling services (casinos and lotteries). Findings indica
te that third-person perceptions exist in terms of susceptibility and sever
ity, and that both of these perceptual biases are related to individuals' w
illingness to censor advertising.