TV Debates and Vote Choice in the 2012 Korean Presidential Election: Does Viewing TV Debates Activate Partisan Voting

Even though televised debates play an important role in developing countries, such as Korea, relatively few studies systematically delve into the effects of viewing TV debates on vote choice. I argue that viewing televised debates activates partisan voting. In order to examine the argument, this study analyzes individual vote choice in the 2012 Korean presidential election. According to the regression results of this research, undecided and mismatched partisans are not more or less likely to vote for their partisan candidates if they view fewer than three televised debates. However, after viewing at least three TV debates, partisanship plays a significant role in determining vote choice. In addition, watching televised debates significantly explains how nonpartisans vote for candidates.