La polarización política en España: ¿Realidad o ficción? Evidencias empíricas a través del análisis de los discursos parlamentarios en el estado de alarma

Abstract

The research examines the degree of polarization in political discourse during the COVID-19 health emergency in Spain. It analyzes the political speeches of leaders from the main national parties represented in the Spanish Congress of Deputies (PSOE, PP, Vox, UP, and Cs) as well as those of the Prime Minister, focusing on the parliamentary sessions where the government’s communications accompanying Royal Decree 463/2020, declaring the state of emergency, and its six extensions, were debated and voted upon. A quantitative and qualitative content analysis is conducted, along with a regression analysis to investigate the determinants of polarization levels in these discourses. The findings reveal a progressive increase in debate tension, diverging from the initial unity, and show that leaders ideologically positioned on the right exhibit higher levels of polarization in their speeches.