TV-debates tend to become a culmination point of political communication in the run up to elections on the local, regional and national level. The Eurovision Debate on May 15th 2014 has been a novelty at supranational level: Five “Spitzenkandidaten” discussed European politics in a TV-show broadcasted Europe-wide. Contrary to all efforts the Eurovision Debate is classified as a “second-order-debate” since it barely mobilized an audience as similar programs on national level did.
What is the potential of TV-debates for campaign communication and political agenda-setting by the „Spitzenkandidaten“ on European level compared to national debates? What are effects on preferences of viewers regarding the images of candidates, European institutions and an ‘European identity’?
The paper assumes that the effects of TV-debates vary between different types of elections and therefore need to be analyzed in a context-sensitive research design. It presents empirical findings the authors collected with standardized questionnaires and focus groups.
