S. Kiousis et al., Candidate image attributes - Experiments on the substantive dimension of second level agenda setting, COMM RES, 26(4), 1999, pp. 414-428
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.