Evaluation of the Effect of Political Advertisements on Voters with Psychophysiological Data Harvesting Technique: The Case of 2023 Presidential Elections

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate voters' levels of interest and focus on the political advertisements used by presidential candidates during the second round of the 2023 presidential elections, utilizing the Psychophysiological Data Harvesting technique. According to the research findings, significant differences were identified among participants' psychophysiological outputs regarding the political advertisement videos aired during the second round of the 2023 presidential elections. In this context, participants showed high motivation towards the political advertisement of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the advertisement titled “Dualar, Rüyalar, Umutlar Seninle” (Prayers, Dreams, Hopes Are With You) achieving high visual attention averages and interest percentages across all categories. It was found that participants were influenced by images that supported national and spiritual sentiments and emphasized unity and togetherness. On the other hand, participants who watched the political advertisement titled “Senin Oy’un Onun Boyunu Aşacak” (Your Vote Will Surpass Him) by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu exhibited low attention values. A heat map of the scene with the highest central attention value indicated that participants focused more on Ekrem İmamoğlu rather than on the presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Additionally, gender-based differences were found in participants' attention averages and focus amounts regarding the political advertisement videos.