VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION: More people are increasingly stressed about the presidential election
Chloe Smarz: Tensions have been high as tomorrow’s presidential election quickly approaches. Our Anna Salewycz is live at the Onondaga County Board of Elections to tell us how the election is impacting people’s mental health. Anna, how stressed are people feeling right now?
Anna Salewycz: Well Chloe, the American Psychological Association says that 65% of American adults are significantly stressed about the upcoming election tomorrow. And that’s about 17% higher than in 2016. I spoke to two political psychologists to try to understand why this is happening. Stress and politics is not a new phenomenon. It’s something Binghamton University assistant political science professor Hilary Izat and many other political psychologists have studied a lot. Izat says she thinks the difference is that some people are afraid that Trump’s second presidency would threaten our democracy. And she is one of those people.
Hilary Izat: As somebody who watches and observes a lot of politics, I am nervous. I’m very nervous.
Salewycz: Izat says this fear, combined with other emotions like anger, is mobilizing people to turn out more. Syracuse University political science Professor Shana Gadarian agrees. But things have changed since she wrote her book “Anxious Politics” in 2015. Gadarian says many people now use their partisanship to decide who to trust in times of crisis – and she says she’s afraid of the political violence that may come of that after this election.
Shana Gadarian: I think that what we should be really worried about is that there might be lies spread about the way that votes are counted, in ways that mobilize people who don’t have democracy at heart.
Salewycz: But stress in the election isn’t something just limited to academia and research. It’s a real problem that affects real people, one of which is a student here at Syracuse University. Syracuse University junior Alaina Keipert says she is so stressed it’s affecting her physical health.
Alaina Keipert: My hair has been falling out.
Salewycz: Keipert says she’s secured a European passport through her German heritage, so she has a way out if Trump becomes president again. But Izat believes Americans will survive another Trump presidency and encourages people to trust in our institutions. The New York State Office of Mental Health has been encouraging people to vote and has several resources on its website in case there’s something you need to check out. For NCC News, I’m Anna Salewycz.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Tuesday’s presidential election has a serious impact on people’s mental health. Sixty-nine percent of adults report being significantly stressed about the election, according to the American Psychological Association. That number jumped 17% from just 52% in 2016.
However, the link between stress and politics is not a new phenomenon. It’s something several political psychologists, such as Binghamton University assistant political science professor Hilary Izat and Syracuse University political science professor Shana Gadarian, have studied a lot. Izat says she believes the increase stems from the fact that many people, from both parties, are afraid a second Trump presidency would threaten our democracy.
“As somebody who watches and observes a lot of politics, I am nervous,” Izat said. “I’m very nervous.”
This fear, combined with other emotions like anger, is mobilizing people to turn out more, according to Izat and Gadarian.
Although Gadarian agrees, she notes that several things have changed since she published her book “Anxious Politics” in 2015. Many people now use their partisanship to decide who to trust in times of crisis, which could lead to political violence if Trump wins, according to Gadarian.
“I think that what we should be really worried about is that there might be lies spread about the way that votes are counted in ways that mobilize people who don’t have democracy at heart,” Gadarian said.
But this stress isn’t simply limited to academia and research. It’s a real problem that affects real people, one of whom is Syracuse University junior Alaina Keipert. Keipert has been so stressed about the election that she has been losing significant amounts of hair in the shower and has deteriorated her nail beds from picking at them. She has secured a European passport through her German heritage to escape if Trump becomes president again.
“I want a way out,” Keipert said.
But Izat believes Americans will survive another Trump presidency and encourages people to trust in our institutions.
“I think is really important to understand and to believe in is that our institutions are strong in this country,” Izat said. “We did withhold a Trump presidency before, and I firmly believe that we can with we can survive it again.”