Populism and emotional campaigning: the strategic use of emotions in the 2021 Czech general election campaign

This study examines the role of emotions in online political communication during the 2021 Czech general election campaign. We focus on differences between populist and non-populist parties and their different roles – as government or opposition actors. Using quantitative content analysis, we analysed 2,644 Facebook posts published by parliamentary political parties and their leaders one month before the election, focusing on the strategic use of different emotions and blame attribution in their communication. While existing research characterizes populist communication as highly emotional, our findings partly challenge this assumption. The results suggest that populist parties in government tend to moderate their rhetoric, particularly their use of negative emotions, such as fear and anger. The findings also indicate that opposition parties were more likely to use negative emotional appeal and blame attribution, whereas government actors relied more on enthusiasm and positive rhetoric. Our study contributes to the discussion on the strategic adaptation of populist parties’ communication when they assume a governmental position.