The affective gap: a call for a comprehensive examination of the discrete emotions underlying affective polarization

ABSTRACT

Bakker and Lelkes (2024) point at a critical gap in research on affective polarisation: the limited understanding of its affective components, mainly due to the reliance on a unidimensional operationalisation of affect in affective polarisation. They advocate for a broader approach to study affect, integrating explicit and implicit measures, and call on emotion specialists to address this gap. Acknowledging the complexity of affect in the ideological divide, we argue that the lack of a thorough examination of the distinct role of discrete emotions constitutes the primary “affective gap”. Drawing from studies on the relationship between ideological groups and utilising a discrete emotions approach, we contest the prevailing assumption that hatred predominantly underlies affective polarisation. Instead, we propose that disappointment, better captures the intricate dynamics between ideological groups. We argue that such nuanced approach, regarding the affective component of affective polarisation enhances our understanding of the phenomenon and shed light on its implications for societies.

KEYWORDS:

• Affective Polarization
• ideological conflict
• discrete emotions
• disappointment
• hatred

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 It should be noted that while disappointment is mentioned in papers discussing AP (e.g., Jenke, 2023; Marchal & Watson, 2022), no comprehensive empirical examination has been conducted on the relationship between disappointment and AP compared to other negative emotions. The only recent study that examined various emotions and AP, and discussed the involvement of disappointment (alongside other emotions like anger), was a qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with a convenience sample of 30 radical-right Germans (Versteegen, 2024) which does not allow generalization of the findings across ideological groups or countries.

Additional information

Funding

Funded by a European Research Council grant (No. 864347) to the first author.