by PublicABCP
Translated and reviewed by Matheus Lucas Hebling
The article “O Arrefecimento da Polarização Afetiva: análise dos discursos dos governadores no Twitter na campanha eleitoral de 2022”, by researchers Simone Viscarra (Federal University of Vale do São Francisco – UNIVASF), Helga De Almeida (UNIVASF), Thiago Silame (Federal University of Alfenas – UNIFAL), and Joscimar Silva (University of Brasília – UnB), investigates how polarization manifested in the 2022 gubernatorial campaigns, with a particular focus on the political figures of Bolsonaro and Lula. The study was published in the journal Caderno CRH, from UNIVASF.
Affective polarisation refers to a form of political division characterised not only by ideological disagreement but also by strong negative and hostile emotions between opposing political groups.
The authors collected all tweets posted by state government candidates during the first round of the 2022 election campaign using the software Netlytic. Data analysis combined descriptive statistics in Excel and discourse analysis conducted with the Iramuteq tool for the R language.
Variables considered included the account that authored each post, the candidate’s state, their political party, declared support for either Bolsonaro or Lula, and the engagement metrics of the tweets.
Contrary to the high levels of polarisation observed at the national level, the study found a “cooling” of affective polarisation in the state-level campaigns. Most candidates avoided confrontation, focusing instead on discussing public policy rather than promoting polarised narratives. Few directly mentioned Bolsonaro or Lula in their posts, generally opting to steer clear of political tension.
The research contributes to a broader understanding of political polarisation in Brazil, underlining the importance of analysing political discourse across different levels of electoral competition. The candidates’ strategy of avoiding confrontation may be interpreted as an effort to minimise political costs and maximise voter support.
The authors note that their analysis focused solely on Twitter. Other digital and traditional media platforms were not included. They also highlight the need for further research in upcoming elections to assess whether the political elite will continue to align around the current polarisation between the centre-left and the far-right.
Author Profiles
Simone Viscarra holds a PhD in Political Science from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. She is a professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, a permanent lecturer in the national professional master’s programme in Sociology (ProfSocio), and in the professional master’s in Public Administration. She is a member of the Politik Research Centre – Centre for Studies on Institutions, Participation, and Political Culture.
Helga de Almeida holds a PhD in Political Science from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. She is a lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences at the Federal University of Vale do São Francisco and in the Graduate Programme in Political Science at the Federal University of Piauí. She coordinates the Politik Centre and is a member of CEPPI-UFMG (Centre for Studies on Politics and the Internet) and Observa – the Observatory of Conflicts on the Internet.
Thiago Silame holds a PhD and Master’s in Political Science from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He is an associate professor at the Federal University of Alfenas and a lecturer in the national professional master’s in Public Administration (PROFIAP). He is a researcher at the Centre for Legislative Studies (CEL-DCP) at UFMG and the author of the book Legislative Assemblies of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande do Sul: Recruitment Politics for Standing Committees.
Joscimar Silva holds a PhD in Political Science from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He is a professor at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Brasília, Financial Director of the Brazilian Association of Electoral Researchers, and Coordinator of the Political Communication and Electoral Behaviour Research Group at the Latin American Political Science Association.
Publication Information
Title: O Arrefecimento da Polarização Afetiva: análise dos discursos dos governadores no Twitter na campanha eleitoral de 2022
Authors: Simone Viscarra, Helga De Almeida, Thiago Silame, and Joscimar Silva
Year of Publication: 2024
Read more: Caderno CRH, Volume 37
