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Hate in the Tropics: Political Leaders and the Social Acceptability of Online Hate Speech

Author

Listed:
  • Diego Marino-Fages

    (Durham University)

  • Agustina Martínez-Pozo

    (University of Leicester)

Abstract

How does the advent of political information influence social norms? This paper examines the impact of Jair Bolsonaro’s victory in the 2018 Brazilian presidential electionon the prevalence of hate speech. We apply Natural Language Processing techniques to detect hate speech in over 37.6 million tweets, and leverage the electoral surprise ofBolsonaro’s victory in a difference-in-differences design. Our findings reveal a substantial increase in online hate speech following the election, particularly in municipalities where Bolsonaro’s vote share was lower—where his local and national support diverged most. The increase is primarily driven by the extensive margin of hate speech and is concentrated in homophobic and sexist content—areas in which Bolsonaro’s rhetoric was highly controversial. Overall, these patterns suggest that the election outcome reshaped perceptions of the social acceptability of expressing hate.

Suggested Citation

  • Diego Marino-Fages & Agustina Martínez-Pozo, 2026. "Hate in the Tropics: Political Leaders and the Social Acceptability of Online Hate Speech," Working Papers 391, Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE).
    • Handle: RePEc:aoz:wpaper:391
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    File URL: https://rednie.eco.unc.edu.ar/files/DT/391.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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