Candidate image attributes - Experiments on the substantive dimension of second level agenda setting

This study examined the role of attribute salience in the agenda setting pr ocess. Two experiments were conducted to investigate how media emphasis an certainpolitical candidate attributes would influence public perceptions of those politicians. Specifically,media portrayals of candidate personality and qualification traits were explored. Findings suggest that people's impr essions of candidate personality traits mirror media portrayals of those tr aits. However, media portrayals of personality traits do not affect a candi date's overall salience. The delta also indicate that candidate qualificati ons do influence affective perceptions of politicians. Finally, the authors consider the ramifications of these results on future scholarship.