LINZ. SPÖ candidate Andreas Schieder listens trustingly to a young woman with a tablet in his hands. While Reinhold Lopatka from the ÖVP wants to “protect Europe’s borders”, the Green Party’s Lena Schilling calls for “heart instead of agitation” – at the same time the FPÖ complains about “eco-communism and warmongering”.
25 days before the EU elections, the election campaign is clearly visible on the billboards. But what do the slogan, images and design actually say about the party and the candidates themselves? The OÖNachrichten spoke to Daniel Witzeling, social scientist and head of the Human Institute Vienna, about the “psychology behind the posters”.
One thing in advance: Even in a digitalized world, election posters are very popular as a medium (more on this on page 3). “It is less useful for attracting new voters, but rather as a signal to the core electorate,” says Witzeling. On the surface, the impression should be left that “we’re doing something anyway,” says media psychologist Witzeling.
Posters as a Rorschach test
And what message should be conveyed? According to Witzeling, there are many strategies in the poster campaign. The two major parties, ÖVP and SPÖ, both chose “very simple messages” and a lot of room for interpretation – consciously, as the expert says.
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Image: APA/EVA MANHART
Source: Nachrichten
