Understanding the U.S. Election Emotions & Experiences

Key Takeaways

A high-stakes election combined with complex emotions creates a need for understanding and action; our respondents are making specific choices to manage the emotional experience and their mental wellness.
Conversations are ongoing around both our democracy and being concrete about your voting intentions. These conversations lead to more direct action for some. Boots on the ground and donations are a more challenging ask than a merch purchase.
It’s never easy to manage consumer expectations – guiding content and engaging on social will be a minefield this fall. Diving deep on social around specific candidates or issues isn’t necessary unless that’s on brand! Some brands might be able to avoid politics and political issues, but for this election, the expectation is many will have and take a position on American democracy and the democratic process.

Need to take the pulse of Americans leading up to the presidential election? Our Rapid Alert Omnibus makes it simple.

There is no shortage of data right now on how Americans plan to vote this election. We at Sago wanted to take a different look at voting and the election once we noticed how little data and insight there is into the emotional election experience. Our Strategy + Insight team designed a study to understand the impact of this tumultuous election season on the day-to-day behaviors of American voters, how they feel, and how that creates specific election experiences in the typical American home.

The online questionnaire was fielded to 1,527 adults in the U.S., collected from July 26 to 31, weighted to U.S. Census representation for age, gender, race, ethnicity, and four-way geographical region.

High-Stakes High Voting Intention

Voting intention is high for this election regardless of the chosen candidate and our respondents are ready to go. This election feels like a big one!

83% of Democrats think politics and political issues have never been more important, compared to 72% of Republicans, and 55% of Independents.

Hope & Optimism, but Not Happy About the Election

There is plenty of hope and optimism, but it’s not exactly happy out there.

Nine out of 10 respondents want to feel hopeful and optimistic about America’s future regardless of their voting affiliation.

Democrats are most likely to feel optimistic (55%), while Republicans are most likely to feel focused (32%). In darker moments, respondents are pessimistic, angry, and feel powerless about the upcoming election. Independent voters are the most likely to feel pessimistic (43%) and uninspired in their most negative moments. Democrats are most likely to feel angry and depressed.

Many respondents plan to manage their mental health with a conscious reduction in media consumption. Nearly half of all respondents have already reduced the amount of news they watch or read to look after their mental health. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they have no plans to reduce media consumption prior to the election. Democrats are more likely than Republicans and Independents to expect they will reduce consumption before the election.

Lots of Election Talk, Less Action

Talk is far more prevalent than any action other than voting, including everything from merchandise purchases to volunteering.

Democrats lead the charge on conversations about the importance of participating in our democracy, especially compared to Independents. Seven in 10 Democrats have had specific conversations about the importance of participating in our democracy – it’s six in 10 for Republicans and five in 10 for Independents.

Republicans lead the way with previous merch purchases, with a quarter having made a purchase to support their candidate in the past.

Over half of respondents don’t expect to donate or volunteer, with Democrats most likely to have either already donated or are planning to. Democrats are slightly more likely to have made a recent donation or volunteered.

Democracy Over Candidate

Political issues are always a balancing act for brands and organizations. The expectation is to stand up for democracy, not a candidate. Still a tough path – but far less treacherous!

Brands and organizations can’t ignore this election. Over half of respondents believe companies have a responsibility to stand up for American democracy. This sentiment is strongest for Democrats. A quarter of respondents will not purchase from brands and organizations that aren’t supporting their candidates, with little difference between Republicans and Democrats.