Abstract
There is no consensus in electoral sociology on the indicators and measurements of cognitive factors that are very often defined by the political awareness of voters (Hacker, 2004). Inspired by the work of George Marcus in particular, part of this type of research focuses on the role played by emotional factors in the determination of electoral choice. Work on the subject, which is on the borderline between analyses of political competence or awareness and political psychology, examines the explicative factors of voting behavior and the cognitive processes that lead people to vote. George Marcus’ work presents itself as an alternative approach to rational choice analyses and draws on the concept of the “affective intelligence” of voters defined as a mixture of reflex, emotional, and rational processes. According to George Marcus, the personality of the candidates as well as the mood and feelings aroused as the candidate becomes more familiar to the voter during the campaign are essential variables in the study of political awareness and opinions. He believes that citizens only manage to become familiar with what they feel to be likable and moving. The 2007 presidential election campaign in France provided a key moment to take these dimensions into account. The personality and image of the main candidates have rarely played such a central role or made it so necessary to take the voters’ “emotional intelligence” into account in explaining how their political opinions are shaped.
Published Version
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