Abstract
Objectives
Major sociopolitical events can influence the general public's affective state and
other affect-related processes, such as sleep. Here, we investigated the extent that
the 2020 US presidential election impacted sleep, public mood, and alcohol consumption.
We also explored the relationship between affect and sleep changes during the peak
period of election stress.
Participants
US-residing (n = 437) and non-US-residing (n = 106) participants were recruited online
for participation in the study.
Methods
A non-representative, convenience sample responded to daily assessments of their affect,
sleep, and alcohol consumption during a baseline period (October 1-13, 2020) and in
the days surrounding the 2020 US Election (October 30-November 12, 2020).
Results
Analyses determined changes within and between US and non-US participants. Election
Day evoked significantly reduced sleep amount and efficiency, coupled with heightened
stress, negative affect, and increased alcohol use. While US participants were significantly
more impacted in a number of domains, non-US participants also reported reduced sleep
and greater stress compared to baseline. Across participants, disrupted sleep on Election
Night correlated with changes in emotional well-being and alcohol consumption on Election
Day.
Conclusion
These results suggest that major sociopolitical events can have global impacts on
sleep that may interact with significant fluctuations in public mood and well-being.
Further, while the largest impact is on the local population, these results suggest
that the effects can extend beyond borders. These findings highlight the potential
impact of future sociopolitical events on public well-being.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 21, 2022
Accepted:
August 26,
2022
Received in revised form:
August 17,
2022
Received:
November 3,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
