Final answer:
Negative ads tend to target a candidate's personal characteristics, while positive ads focus on policy differences. Negative ads are often used for their impactful and memorable content, but they can increase voter cynicism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that most accurately characterizes positive and negative political advertising is: negative ads tend to focus on candidates' personal characteristics, while positive ads tend to focus on important policy differences. Negative political advertising, also known as attack ads, commonly centers on a rival's personality, mistakes, or past controversies rather than substantive political issues. Conversely, positive political advertising usually emphasizes a candidate's policies, achievements, and their plans if elected. Negative ads can have a powerful impact in a short amount of time, but they may also engender cynicism among voters. Positive ads aim to build a connection between the candidate's policy stances and voters' own beliefs, as seen in primary election campaigns where ads focus on shared issue positions. However, negative advertising is frequently used because it can effectively grab attention and is easier to compress into a concise and memorable message.