Signals and meaning-context articulations: role of emotions and their salience in the social representations of protective policies in 11 countries

Citizens interpret protective policies through socially shared systems of meaning that integrate cognitive and emotional dimensions. Using Social Representations Theory and Abric's structural approach, we examined the emotions and their articulation with the central elements of citizens' social representations of protective policies with a cross-national comparison of 11 countries. Based on 10,147 valid cases, a prototypical analysis was conducted. Across countries, emotions occupied peripheral and contrast zones. In the pooled structure, only Fear ( n = 123), Calmness ( n = 79), and Joy ( n = 34) met inclusion thresholds, all located in the second periphery. Fear was the only emotion present in all countries, whereas Calmness and Joy varied across countries. Disappointment, Disgust, Shame , and Tranquility were specific to national contexts. Similarity analysis revealed two coherent affective-representational configurations centered on Fear and Calmness , linking emotions with distinct categories despite their peripheral structural position. Therefore, peripherality may not imply relational marginality, and emotions function as flexible representational resources, contextualizing and operationalizing the meaning of protective policies with citizens' contexts. Findings suggest the relevance of emotional literacy to protect the articulation and signaling role of emotions.