Emotions in Political Opinion

Gabriella Szabó, HUN REN Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary
szabo.gabriella@tk.hu

Emotions play a major role in shaping people's views on specific policies as well as their perceptions of political processes and systems. For instance, empathy may lead to support for social welfare policies, but fear or mistrust may spur opposition to particular proposals. In contrast to fearful citizens who perceive more risks and anticipate a greater need for precautionary measures, angry citizens see fewer risks and feel less urgency for precautions. People who are angry often vent their frustrations and assign blame, which can weaken their trust in political figures and institutions. Angry citizens are more likely to favour punitive measures, whereas afraid citizens are more likely to favour policies that are accommodating and protective. Similarly, anxiety can make people more reluctant to compromise on policies, while anger can make people less open to considering alternative viewpoints. Emotions also have an impact on how message framing influences political communication. Anxiety makes people more sensitive to environmental cues, which increases the effects of framing, whereas excitement and rage reduce context awareness, which lessens the effects of framing.

Emotions cause different cognitive processing styles. Anger encourages heuristic processing, whereas sadness encourages systematic processing of information. In order to directly and indirectly influence public opinion, political leaders and organisations deliberately use emotions in their communications. The purpose of emotional appeals in political speeches, campaign ads, and debates is to connect with the voters and strengthen efforts at mobilisation and persuasion. This deliberate use of emotion illustrates how the emotional terrain of the electorate affects political structures and procedures in addition to interests and compromises.

Keywords: emotions, emotional appeals, persuasion

Related Entries: Affect/Affective Foundation of Opinion, Emotions

References:
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