Entre el orgullo y la ira: Estrategias emocionales y discursivas en las elecciones europeas de 2024 en España

Iván Sánchez-Marañón; Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili

doi:10.31921/doxacom.n42a2942

Authors

Ivan Sanchez-Marañon London School of Economics and Political Science https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0680-0490
Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili University of Navarra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7952-5664

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n42a2942

Keywords:

political communication, emotions, narratives, electoral campaigns, polarization

Abstract

This study analyzes the use of emotions and narratives in political communication during the 2024 European Parliament elections in Spain. Through a content analysis of the electoral spots from the main political parties (PP, PSOE, Sumar, and Vox), different patterns in the use of emotions and narratives are identified. The results show significant differences in the use of emotions: while governing parties (PSOE and Sumar) more frequently employed enthusiasm, opposition parties (PP and Vox) relied more often on anger. Additionally, relevant differences are observed in the use of narratives: opposition parties predominantly used the national narrative, whereas governing parties prioritized the European one. Finally, this study helps confirm how electoral campaigns contribute to increased polarization, by associating positive emotions with a party’s own supporters and negative emotions with political opponents.

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Author Biographies

Ivan Sanchez-Marañon, London School of Economics and Political Science

Student of the MSc in Political Science (Political Behavior) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Navarra, where he obtained the Scholarship for Talent in the Humanities. He has collaborated as a columnist in media such as Diario de Navarra and Navarra.com, and is a member of El Tablero Político, a platform for the dissemination of Political Science on social media. She is part of Equipo Euorpa, a youth association dedicated to the promotion of the European Union and boosting citizen participation. His main academic interest focuses on electoral behaviour and political communication.
Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili, University of Navarra

Professor of Political Communication at the University of Navarra and principal investigator of the group "Journalism, Political Communication and Democracy" (PerComPolDe). He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University. In 2016 he was awarded the Award of Merit for Excellence in Teaching in Political Communication at the Victory Awards (The Georgetown University Conference Center, Washington D.C.). His most recent publications include articles in Media and Communication, Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research, OBS Observatory, El profesional de la información, and KOME: An International Journal of Pure Communication Inquiry, as well as book chapters in leading publishers such as Routledge, Tecnos and Éditions L'Harmattan.

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