Muted by Hostility? Politicians’ Experiences with Online Abuse and its Democratic Costs

Recent years mark a growing concern about the level and intensity of online hostility that politicians experience: from subtle mockery to hate speech and threats of physical harm directed at them and their loved ones. While previous research has begun to map and demonstrate the substantial volume and consequences of online hostility that politicians face (e.g., Akhtar & Morrison, 2019; Herrick & Thomas, 2024), qualitative insights into how it affects politicians personally and professionally, which forms of hostility they experience as most harmful and why, and how they try to cope with this challenge, remain limited. To address these questions, 97 qualitative interviews were conducted with Belgian MPs, ministers and party leaders in Spring 2025. First insights reveal that most politicians experience online hostility as a strain on their professional and/or personal lives. Although many have developed coping strategies that help them minimize its immediate effects, these strategies often involve reducing their online presence, becoming more cautious in what they say, or outsourcing their online communication, thereby muting their own voice (see also Van Bavel, 2022). Despite the democratic costs of such self-censorship for substantive representation, politicians seldom reflect on these wider democratic consequences, concentrating instead on making this manageable for themselves. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings and societal avenues for better supporting politicians in dealing with online hostility.