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@article{187568,
        author = {DR SHIVAJEE KUMAR},
        title = {The Psychological Ecology of Elections: An Emotion-Centric Study of Voter Behaviour in Bihar, 2025},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {12},
        number = {6},
        pages = {7423-7434},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=187568},
        abstract = {Background: Democracy in India functions not merely as a constitutional framework but as a complex psychological ecosystem shaped by emotion, identity, and social persuasion. The Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 provide a crucial context to examine how voters’ emotional orientations, caste identities, and media-generated narratives influence political behaviour.

Objective This study explores the psychological ecology of elections by analyzing the interplay of affective responses, social identity salience, and propaganda exposure among voters in Bihar. It aims to understand how emotions shape political choices and how identity and media jointly mediate this process.

Methods: A mixed-method political-psychological investigation was conducted with 300 voters across ten districts of Bihar. Standardized tools the Political Emotion Index (PEI), Civic Reasoning Scale (CRS), and Media Exposure Index (MEI) were used to measure emotional arousal, democratic cognition, and susceptibility to propaganda. Quantitative findings were complemented by focus group discussions and thematic analysis for deeper contextual understanding.

Results: Emotional arousal particularly fear, pride, anger, and hope emerged as a significant predictor of voting preference. Caste identity served as a mediating variable that structured emotional meaning and shaped political alignment. Exposure to emotionally charged media content amplified cognitive bias, heightened affective polarization, and reduced policy-based evaluation.

Conclusion: Voter behaviour in Bihar reflects a pronounced emotional–identity–media nexus operating within the broader psychological ecology of Indian elections. Strengthening emotional literacy and civic reasoning may support more reflective, ethical, and resilient democratic participation.},
        keywords = {Political psychology; emotional priming; voter behaviour; Bihar elections; social identity theory; democracy and emotion},
        month = {December},
        }