Obrazy „tých druhých“. Afektívna polarizácia a slovenské prezidentské voľby 2024
Images of the Other Side´s Voters. Affective Polarization and Slovakia´s Presidential Election 2024

Summary/Abstract: Affective polarization is more than political conflict and even more than just polarization. It is fueled by emotions, social and political identities, and characterized by mutual hostility between opposing political groups or their supporters. Affective polarization poses significant risks to democracy by strengthening the extreme positions. This study focuses on the phenomenon of affective polarization in the case of the Slovak presidential election in 2024, with an emphasis on intergroup dynamics and manifestations of perceptions of "the others", their characteristics and attitudes, i.e. hetero-stereotypes of two voter groups - the electorate of Peter Pellegrini and the electorate of Ivan Korčok. The analysis is based on the results of a representative survey conducted shortly after the 2nd round of the election. Respondents answered the open-ended questions; their responses were inductively categorized and analyzed. The findings show deep antagonism between the two electorates. The attributes were concentrated around ideological positions, geopolitical attitudes, what reflected the election campaign. Furthermore, personal traits and moral judgements were articulated. As such, affective polarization at the level of the voters was clearly demonstrated. The study concludes that due to the post-election developments, the phenomenon may even increase and have consequences for social cohesion, trust and finally the quality of democracy.

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