What really attracts attention in a political post? Which words evoke tension, and which build a sense of community? And does what we declare in opinion research truly reflect our authentic emotions?
In the era of digital political communication, answers to these questions are no longer sufficient in the form of a traditional survey. Precise tools for measuring attention and emotions are needed – such as eye tracking and face tracking – which make it possible to look deeper than the level of declarations. Contemporary research on democracy increasingly shows that emotions are one of the key factors influencing the reception of political messages.
It is precisely this approach that we applied in the international ENCODE project, analysing the emotional foundations of contemporary democracy. Experts from ASM Neuro Lab carried out a comprehensive research project combining a political compass, analysis of content generated on the basis of LLMs, and the measurement of emotional reactions of respondents in four European countries.
The project, funded under the Horizon Europe programme, shows that the future of social research does not consist solely in asking “what do you think?”, but also in analysing “what do you look at?” and “what do you really feel?”.
A Multi-stage Research Design: From Political Attitudes to Emotional Reactions
The study was designed as a comprehensive analysis of differences between declared views and actual emotional reactions.
- Political compass – identification of attitudes
The process began with an introductory survey in the form of a political compass, allowing for the determination of the ideological orientation of respondents. This made it possible to segment the sample and analyse emotional reactions depending on declared views.
- Controlled stimuli – political posts based on LLM analysis
Respondents were then exposed to political posts prepared on the basis of the analysis of real content from the X platform.
The use of large language models (LLMs) made it possible to extract dominant narrative patterns, reconstruct realistic communication strategies, and prepare experimental variants of messages while maintaining research control.
- Face tracking and eye tracking – measurement of attention and emotions
A key element of the project was biometric research, enabling the registration of unconscious reactions.
Face tracking made it possible to analyse facial micro-expressions and dynamic emotional changes in real time, identifying, among others, reactions such as anger, approval, or anxiety.
Eye tracking studies were also conducted, which make it possible to determine:
- which elements of a message attract attention,
- how long concentration is maintained on specific fragments of content,
- which visual stimuli generate the highest cognitive engagement.
The combination of both methods makes it possible to simultaneously analyse: the path of attention (where the respondent looks), the intensity of emotions (what they feel), and the declared interpretation of the content.
- IDI interviews – confrontation of biometric data with declarations
After the experimental part, individual in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted. Their purpose was:
- to understand the way in which the presented posts are interpreted,
- to identify rationalisations of political assessments,
- to compare biometric data with declarative responses.
The central research question was: Are there significant differences between biometric reactions and declared political opinions? Such an approach makes it possible to go beyond the limitations of classical public opinion research and to capture discrepancies between the emotional and cognitive levels.
International scope
The study was conducted in four countries:
- Poland
- Austria
- Denmark
- Bulgaria
The international nature of the project makes it possible to analyse cultural differences in the reception of political narratives and the level of emotional polarisation in different democratic contexts.
Further stages: focus groups and Delphi panels
In the next phase of the project, ASM Research Solutions Strategy is responsible for the implementation of:
The aim will be to identify political narratives perceived as the most inclusive and conducive to social dialogue.
- Delphi panels with experts
This method will make it possible to develop recommendations concerning responsible political communication and counteracting polarisation.
Conclusions for research on democracy
Eye tracking and biometric research carried out within the ENCODE project show that the analysis of democracy requires the integration of declarative data with the measurement of unconscious reactions.
For the research community, this means:
- increasing the accuracy of the interpretation of political attitudes,
- the possibility of identifying hidden emotional tensions,
- the development of more responsible models of public communication.
The integration of eye tracking, face tracking, and qualitative methods constitutes the direction of development in research on political communication – especially in the context of the growing role of digital media and narratives generated using AI.
