The perception of the debates as a decision factor in electoral behavior in the general elections of april 2019

Abstract

Introduction: This paper analyses the effects of the electoral debates on citizens’ perceptions about the candidates and on the vote for the main parties in the General Elections of April 2019. Methodology: Descriptive analysis and generalized linear models with link logit to explain the vote, through the use of the Post-Election Study No. 3248 of the General Elections, 2019 prepared by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS by its acronym in Spanish). Results: The models show that the perception about which candidate was the most convincing in the electoral debates significantly influences the vote. Discussion and conclusions: Electoral debates have mainly a reinforcing effect on both the vote and the leadership of the participants in these.