Deciding who to vote for. experimental evidence about the effect of emotions on voting

Abstract

Objective/Context: What effect do the emotions conveyed by the candidates have on the voters? In electoral campaigns, candidates not only inform voters of their positions in public policies or the political party they represent; they also convey emotions. In this work, we investigate the effect that these emotions have on voting. Methodology: Two survey experiments were designed and fielded to a representative sample of the population residing in Chile during May and June 2019. These experiments allow us to evaluate how the emotions transmitted by the candidates, through their faces and political speech, can affect the preference for a candidate. Conclusions: The results show that the valence of emotions is a relevant factor in voting decisions, particularly when transmitted through facial expressions. Positive emotions increase the probability of voting for a candidate. When we consider the emotions conveyed through speech, we find that positive emotion about the future increases the likelihood of voting for that candidate. Originality: This work makes two contributions. On the one hand, it contributes to the study of the impact of emotions in Latin America. On the other hand, the use of experiments allows evaluating the effect of the emotions transmitted by the candidates.