Replication Data for: Partisan Conflict in Nonverbal Communication

Replication guide This `README` file contains information about how to produce the figures and tables in "Nonverbal Communication of Partisan Conflict" (Rask and Hjorth, 2025). All code is executed using `R`. To ensure that all paths are set correctly, we encourage readers to open the `nonverbal-conflict-replication.Rproj` project. Dataverse Structure - `nonverbal-conflict-replication.Rproj` - RStudio Project file, sets all paths correctly. - `README.qmd` - `.qmd` file, provides an introduction to the dataverse. - `README.pdf` - `.pdf` file, produced from `README.qmd`. - `replication.R` - `.R` file, produces all tables and figures. - `replication-tables.qmd` - `.qmd` file, gathers all tables produced in `replication.R` - `replication-tables.pdf` - `.pdf` file, produced from `replication-tables.qmd` - `/data` - folder containing all data (`main.rds`, `validation1.rds`, `validation2.rds`, `votes.rds`, `afinn.rds`) necessary to replicate the results. - `/figures/main` - folder generated in `replication.R` to hold save all figures appearing in main text. - `/figures/appendix` - folder generated in `replication.R` to hold save all figures appearing in appendix. - `/tables` - folder generated in `replication.R` to hold save all tables appearing in appendix. Questions If you run into questions while replicating the results contact Mathias Rask ([e-mail]) Abstract In multiparty systems, parties signal conflict through communication, yet standard approaches to measuring partisan conflict in communication consider only the verbal dimension. We expand the study of partisan conflict to the nonverbal dimension by developing a measure of conflict signaling based on variation in a speaker's expressed emotional arousal, as indicated by changes in vocal pitch. We demonstrate our approach using comprehensive audio data from parliamentary debates in Denmark spanning more than two decades. We find that arousal reflects prevailing patterns of partisan polarization and predicts subsequent legislative behavior. Moreover, we show that, consistent with a strategic model of behavior, arousal tracks the electoral and policy incentives faced by legislators. All results persist when we account for the verbal content of speech. By documenting a novel dimension of elite communication of partisan conflict and providing evidence for the strategic use of nonverbal signals, our findings deepen our understanding of the nature of elite partisan communication.