(Dis) Connection of Political Discourse with Sustainable Communication. Messages from Regional Candidates on Social Media During Election Campaigns

Abstract

The main objective of this research focuses on studying the political discourse of the 75 candidates who participated in the Spanish regional elections held on May 28, 2023, in twelve autonomous communities. The aim is to determine the possible alignment or disconnection of the political agenda of these regional candidates with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN in the 2030 Agenda. These global goals are key elements of sustainable communication and responsible leadership, as they are focused on overcoming the multiple global challenges humanity faces today. To achieve this goal, a mixed methodology was chosen, consisting of a quantitative analysis, of a descriptive nature, and a discourse analysis – qualitative method. The FanPage Karma tool allowed monitoring a total of 190 official accounts of regional candidates on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok. After eliminating duplicates and selecting only those posts that explicitly mentioned the SDGs, the sample consisted of a total of n=1,523 unique messages, which were processed with MeaningCloud for sentiment analysis. The results show that most posts focus on decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and global partnerships (SDG 17). On the other hand, hunger (SDG 2), health and well-being (SDG 3), and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) are the least visible topics. The most proactive politicians in sustainable communication were Pablo Zuloaga, the PSOE candidate for the Parliament of Cantabria, and Juan Lobato, the PSOE candidate for the Assembly of Madrid. In contrast, Leticia Díaz, Vox's candidate for the Parliament of Cantabria, and Alejandra Jacinto, Podemos' candidate for the Assembly of Madrid, were the least proactive. In conclusion, although fewer than half of the messages from regional candidates mention the 2030 Agenda, sustainable messages related to governance, transparency, or social policies generate much more engagement than those related to environmental policies