Recent research published in American political research It suggests that U.S. members of Congress are increasingly relying on angry rhetoric on social media to build their political brands. The survey provides evidence that this growing anger is not evenly distributed across political parties, with Democrats disproportionately driving the trend. These findings help explain how elected officials use emotional language to communicate with the public and shape political narratives.
Modern political communication tends to rely heavily on digital platforms. Lawmakers use websites like Twitter, now known as X, to share their policy preferences and craft their public images. This process of creating a particular public persona is often referred to as reputation building. Through social media, politicians can speak directly to voters without relying on traditional news outlets or press conferences.
The study was conducted by Anneliese Russell, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky Martin School of Public Policy and author of the book. Scared of Tweets: Congressional Communication Crisis; University of Kentucky assistant professor Maggie McDonald and Whitney Hua of the Center for Election Science also participated.
Russell explained that elected officials are very intentional about their public messages. “We know members of Congress are strategic communicators, and while they may not be thinking clearly about the emotions they convey in their messages, they are careful about the words they use in public statements,” Russell said.
The authors wanted to explore the realities of parliamentary communication on a platform notorious for hostility. “And people often describe Twitter as ‘the worst place to be,’ so we wanted to find out if that was really the case in terms of how they use the platform, because what they say online impacts how we understand the system,” Russell said.
High arousal emotions are emotions that cause a strong physical or psychological response and tend to grab the user’s attention quickly. Lawmakers have a built-in incentive to use this type of language because angry messages spread rapidly through digital networks.
To measure how often politicians use angry language, researchers analyzed a huge dataset of social media posts. The sample included more than 2.2 million official tweets sent by members of Congress. Because it would be impossible to read millions of posts by hand, the authors used computerized text analysis. This method utilizes computer software to scan large amounts of text and identify specific words, phrases, or emotional tones.
By applying these computer-assisted tools, the researchers classified the emotional content of Congressional tweets. They searched for words to express anger, resentment, and resentment. The scientists then compared the frequency of these angry messages across different political parties. They also mapped the timeline of these posts to see how the use of anger changed over the years of Congress.
The analysis reveals clear differences in how Democrats and Republicans express emotion on social media. This data provides evidence that Democrats are disproportionately driving the increase in angry speech. Although both parties have tapped into anger to some extent, the overall escalation of angry messages has been primarily fueled by the Democratic side.
Russell explained that this trend reflects the broader political climate of the past few years. “There’s been a lot going on in politics over the last 10 years that has made Democrats furious,” she told SciPost. “Democrats are not known for message discipline, but they seem to agree that Twitter is a place to air political frustrations.”
This strategy is consistent with the way digital platforms give extreme viewpoints greater visibility. Politicians who take stronger positions often receive more engagement from users. “And those who are more ideologically extreme are turning to platforms like Twitter to lean into the politics of anger, where loud, dissatisfied opinions reign supreme,” Russell added. “Tweeting about working with the government isn’t going to get you to Joe Rogan’s podcast.”
Despite these partisan differences, the magnitude of the overall impact highlights a broader reality about digital communications. Politicians use anger to gain attention in all areas, even if one party or the other expresses anger more often now.
“Realistically, Democrats are likely to lean toward anger, but not by much, because anger and its ability to grow online depends on how widely politicians use platforms like Twitter to grow their personal brands and stay relevant,” Russell said.
Interestingly, the researchers noted that the trend of increasing angry tweets in Congress predates President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The escalation of partisan anger in Congressional communications had already begun before he took office.
When asked if any of the findings were unexpected, Russell was succinct. “That’s not true. If you study Congress enough, you’ll probably get angry,” she said.
Although these findings provide a detailed analysis of online political rhetoric, they also have the potential to misinterpret the data. Just because a lawmaker uses angry language on one website, it’s easy to assume that they behave the same way in all professional situations. This study specifically measures public communication strategies on a single platform, rather than overarching legislative style.
Russell emphasized that different platforms encourage different types of behavior. “While our findings suggest one way for legislators to communicate with the digital public, it is by no means the only way,” she cautioned. “If you look through the different communication tools that they’re using, you’ll find different trends. I would be careful to assume that this is how Congress communicates without being aware of the affordances of each platform.”
The term affordance refers to the specific features, rules, and cultural norms of a particular website. Twitter relies on an algorithm that favors fast-paced, emotionally charged content. Lawmakers may use completely different communication styles on websites like Facebook and Instagram, or during formal committee hearings.
Future research could further expand on this work by examining the individuals and broader media environment behind these accounts. Scientists may investigate whether the lawmakers who post the most angry tweets face different financial incentives during elections.
“We always have something in the works, but I think the next step is a deeper understanding of the norms behind the individuals who create this content, a deeper understanding of the media ecosystem around Congress, and how this behavior relates to campaigns and the funding needed to run those campaigns,” Russell said.
The study, “Rage on the Record: Angry Emotional Appeals in Congress,” was authored by Maggie McDonald, Whitney Hoare, and Annelise Russell.
