In person icon Affective Polarization Beyond the Voter: Leaders, Elites, and Political Rhetoric in Divided Democracies

Abstract

Affective polarization is often studied at the mass level, focusing on how citizens feel about opposing partisans. However, this panel shifts the focus to the role of leaders, elites, and political rhetoric in shaping and reinforcing affective divides. The selected papers explore how political and non-political elites, gendered leadership perceptions, electoral outcomes, and elite rhetoric contribute to the deepening of partisan divides across democracies. Together, the papers in this panel shed light on the mechanisms through which leaders, elites, and rhetoric fuel affective polarization, providing a more comprehensive understanding of polarization beyond voter attitudes. By integrating cross-national, experimental, and computational approaches, this panel highlights both the drivers of elite-level polarization and its consequences for democratic stability.

Title	Details
Polarized by Party, Calmed by Gender? Double Standards in Voter Evaluations of Male and Female Leaders	View Paper Details
Winners' Bliss, Losers' Discontent: the Impact of Affective Polarization on Satisfaction with Democracy in Europe	View Paper Details
Informing Voters, Reducing Affective Polarization? Using a Voting Advice Application and a Conversational Chatbot to Mitigate Political Hostility in Poland	View Paper Details
A Comparative Analysis of Elite Affective Polarisation in Latin America: a Computational Linguistics Approach to Affective and Ideological Polarisation	View Paper Details
Can Non-Professional Political Actors Engender Affective Polarization? Experimental Evidence from Brazil.	View Paper Details