ABSTRACT This article provides an examination of the extent to which the use of negative campaigning is determined by the proximity to power of a political party. Specifically, this article measures the extent to which opposition political parties generate negative messages to a greater extent than incumbent parties during election debates in South Africa. The popular assumption regarding negative campaigning in the United States and Western Europe is examined in the South African context. The study reveals the extent to which the determinants of negative campaigning can be observed during publicly broadcast election debates during the 2014 national elections in South Africa. The study reveals and supports the assumptions regarding the use of negative campaigning during elections. It also applies a qualitative content analysis to understand the extent to which opposition parties use negative campaigning to a greater extent than incumbent parties.

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消极情绪和政治辩论：2014 年南非全国和省级选举

摘要 本文提供了对负面竞选活动的使用在多大程度上取决于政党权力的接近程度的研究。具体而言，本文衡量了在南非的选举辩论中，反对派政党比现任政党在更大程度上产生负面信息的程度。在南非的背景下研究了关于美国和西欧负面竞选的流行假设。该研究揭示了在 2014 年南非全国选举期间公开广播的选举辩论中可以观察到负面竞选的决定因素的程度。该研究揭示并支持有关在选举期间使用负面竞选活动的假设。