Emotional Intelligence and Voters: A Master’s Research at Lusófona University
The work developed by the Master’s student from the School of Economic Sciences and Organisations was presented at the University of Salamanca
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Within the framework of the 35th Luso-Spanish Conference on Scientific Management, held from 21 to 24 January 2026, Cristina Sousa, a Master’s student from ECEO – School of Economic Sciences and Organisations of Lusófona University – Lisbon University Centre, presented part of her Master’s dissertation at the University of Salamanca.
Her study highlights a central aspect for understanding electoral behaviour in the Autonomous Region of Madeira: Emotional Intelligence (EI) emerges as a relevant mediating factor between economic and social variables and voting intention.
The results indicate that factors such as the perceived impact of the vote, economic representation and the social context directly influence voting intention.
However, this relationship is neither merely mechanical nor purely rational in the classical sense. Emotional Intelligence acts as an intermediary mechanism, mediating how voters interpret, experience and react to these factors. Although the effects show a moderate statistical magnitude, they fall fully within the values commonly observed in political science research (R² = 0.38).
The exclusive consideration of objective indicators — such as income, employment or public policies — therefore proves insufficient for a full understanding of electoral behaviour. The way voters regulate their emotions, assess threats, manage fear or hope and interpret political discourse plays a decisive role in the final voting decision.
This issue is particularly relevant in the current Portuguese political context, in which some political actors seek to condition electoral decisions through strongly emotional narratives, often based on threats of chaos, institutional collapse or the use of labels such as “fascism” directed at opponents. These strategies appeal less to the rational evaluation of proposals and more to emotional activation, exploiting fears, insecurities and identity dynamics.
In this context, the need to deepen empirical studies on the rationality of voting becomes evident, integrating economic, cognitive, emotional and social dimensions. We are investigating the mediating role of Emotional Intelligence to better understand the extent to which voters are able to filter alarmist discourse, critically assess information and make autonomous political decisions.
Our objective is to contribute to the scientific and civic debate, demonstrating that defending the quality of democracy also implies understanding and strengthening citizens’ emotional competences, especially in contexts where electoral choices are increasingly contested on an emotional level.
Congratulations, Cristina, on an excellent piece of work and a high-quality presentation!
