`Voters attracted more to a candidate`s image than pledges` . NOVEMBER 30, 2012 07:46. . Voters could be more attracted for a presidential candidate’s image rather than his or her policy pledges given the tight race between the Dec. 19 election`s two leading runners.

According to the results of a study conducted by The Dong-A Ilbo and the social networking service analysis site Social Metrics of the terms used most frequently used in Twitter messages mentioning the two contenders, words on the personal consumption styles of Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party and Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party came up to 30 times more than words on their policy pledges.

Over the two days since the first airing of Moon’s election TV commercial Tuesday, “jobs,” his top pledge according to the National Election Commission, was mentioned in 1,142 tweets. Due to public anger over his luxury chair, eyeglasses and padded jumper, “chair” was mentioned 33,358 times, “eyeglasses” 1,142 times, and “padding” 6,810 times. The three terms were also mentioned far more frequently than “welfare” (6,251) and “economic democratization (935).

Over the same period, messages by Moon’s supporters attacking his rival Park for her spending on “handbags,” “shoes” and “clothes” were mentioned together in nearly 4,000 tweets. More than 2,300 tweets mentioned “hotel,” which referred to the high expenses used to rent a hotel business center Park reported to the election watchdog in 2010, more than the 1,548 tweets mentioning “economic democratization” and 2,080 tweets on her “welfare” pledges.

Political psychologists attribute the high interest in personal spending styles of the candidates to voter psychology, which identifies themselves with the candidates they support. People tend to support a candidate they consider similar to themselves and feel “betrayed” when their beliefs are not upheld, they added.

Many experts also said a candidate’s image exerts more influence on voters than his or her policies, warning that ability and policy visions being put on the back burner could obstruct rational choices by voters.

“The two leading candidates are depending on campaign strategies promoting their images because of their failure to present distinct policy pledges, which is a regression of political culture” said Lee Tae-dong, professor emeritus at Sogang University.