| Abstract: | On the assumption that 'political learning' comprises more thanformal instruction, this article investigates the attitudinalimpact of exposure to the 1976 televised debates between Americanpresidential candidates. Following Robinson's (1976) findingthat exposure to 'bad news' decreases confidence in the politicalsystem, the study examines the possibility that viewing thefirst Carter-Ford debate contributed significantly to changesin the respondents' sense of political efficacy, trust in government,level of cynicism, orientation to the campaign, and intent tovote. Data from an experimental study indicate only a limitedimpact from viewing the debate, which is attributed both togeneral problems of attitude change and the specific contentof the debates. |
