Angus Reid tries to ascertain the impact of the Conservative and NDP attack ads.
Angus Reid tries to ascertain the impact of the Conservative and NDP attack ads.
The ads definitely serve to both keep the supporters of the two main parties engaged, and irk their counterparts. New Democrats believe the Tory ad is unfair, and Conservatives feel the same way about the NDP ad.
Still, it’s important to look at how other past voters react to these advertisements. The views of supporters of the Liberal Party and the Green Party are similar to those of New Democrats, particularly on the deficit and on the low confidence expressed in Stephen Harper’s leadership.
Of course, it also matters how many people actually see each ad. The Conservative ad has appeared on television. The NDP ad, at least to my knowledge, has not. (For what it’s worth, the NDP ad does lead the Conservative ad in YouTube views: 69,264 to 33,985.)