RT Journal Article
T1 When political elites talk, citizens reply. Affective polarization through temporalorientation and intergroup emotions
A1 Garzón-Valandia, Diana Camila
A1 Barreto-Galeano, María Idaly
A1 Sabucedo Cameselle, José Manuel
K1 Colombia
K1 Electoral campaigns
K1 Polarization
K1 Political communication
K1 Spain
AB Political polarization on social media, particularly during electoral campaigns, has become a growing concern. This study aimed to assess levels of affective polarization in political communication, considering temporal orientation, delegitimizing beliefs, and intergroup emotions. Two studies were conducted: one during the Andalusian elections in Spain, and another during the Colombian presidential campaign. Tweets from candidates and X users were analyzed in both studies. Linguistic analysis was used to develop an index for measuring affective polarization in linguistic pieces. This index offers an alternative to the lack of linguistic measurement tools for psychological processes regarding political polarization. Findings showed that communicative strategies often exhibited high indicators of ingroup bias in contexts without political violence, resulting in lower polarization that increased with positive emotions and a forward-looking perspective. Conversely, in contexts of political violence, strategies shifted towards outgroup discrimination and delegitimization. Positive emotions decreased polarization in these situations, while a past focus intensified it. The study concluded that affective polarization could indicate the willingness to pursue reconciliation in violent contexts. Consequently, this research provides a map of emotions associated with polarization.Public significance statementTwo studies conducted in Spain and Colombia analyzed how political figures and users of the social network X communicate during elections. It was identified that the use of emotions can contribute to political polarization in both populations. Positive emotions can exacerbate polarization by glorifying one's group, while negative emotions can fuel polarization through attacks on opponents.
PB Wiley
SN 1529-7489
YR 2024
FD 2024-08-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/39742
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/39742
LA eng
NO Garzón-Velandia, D. C., Barreto-Galeano, M. I., & Sabucedo-Cameselle, J. M. (2024). When political elites talk, citizens reply. Affective polarization through temporal orientation and intergroup emotions. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 24, 621–644.
NO This article is the product of a doctoral thesis financed by an agreement between the Universidad Católica de Colombia, the Fundación Carolina, and the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
DS Minerva
RD 28 abr 2026