UNL study finds anxiety increases before a major election

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — From TV ads to billboards to emails, people consume politics almost every single day, and it intensifies as we get closer to a major election. 

All of that might contribute to people being more anxious before an election. 

A study led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln political scientist Kevin Smith found that politics may be serving as a primary source of stress. 

Smith says people are reacting to an increase in division in politics since the 2016 election.

“That level of division seems to have, you know, gone to ever-greater heights, or should I say greater depths,” he said. 

The study was conducted around the 2020 presidential election, but Smith said he’s been studying this for over five years. 

He said while it’s something we might see more during presidential elections, it even happens during local campaigns. 

“Even local elections are taking on some of that polarized context and nature that has traditionally been associated with national-level politics,” Smith said.