Cynicism, insults, and emotions in the 2016 U.S. presidential election: An affective intelligence framework

This study examines the role of political cynicism in emotions, online campaign information seeking, and online political expression. Data from a two-wave online panel survey conducted before the 2016 U.S. presidential election reveal that cynicism is related positively to anger and anxiety and negatively to enthusiasm. Cynicism is also positively related to online campaign information seeking indirectly through anxiety. This indirect relationship is moderated by perceived exposure to insult campaigning, such that the relationship is stronger for those who thought they were often exposed to insulting campaign rhetoric. Data also show that cynicism is negatively associated with online political expression through reduced enthusiasm.