Attacking trauma backfires

When a political attack ad targets a candidate by invoking a family member’s accusations, informing voters about the target’s traumatic background can substantially increase rejection of the ad. The Economist/YouGov randomized wording experiment shows disapproval rising (from 55% to 64% overall) when respondents hear that the candidate was cut off from contact with her abusive parent at age 12. — Campaign strategists, journalists, and regulators should note that negative advertising that invokes family/trauma narratives can provoke cross‑partisan backlash and change voter sentiment, altering both persuasion and the normative bounds of campaign conduct.