Efficacy of Inoculation Strategies in Promoting Resistance to Political Attack Messages: Application to Direct Mail.

Examines the effectiveness of direct mail communication strategies--inoculation (a strategy which promotes resistance to attitude and behavior change), inoculation-plus-reinforcement, and refutation messages--in combating the persuasiveness of political attack messages. Finds that inoculation is more effective than the refutation approach in deflecting the persuasiveness of attack messages. (KEH)