Most employees aren't discussing the latest political polls during meetings or debating hot-button issues around the coffee maker. But that doesn't mean politics isn't affecting the workplace. A study from Texas A&M University found that the political information employees consume outside of work can influence how they feel and behave on the job.
For a study published in Computers in Human Behavior , a team of researchers led by Dr. Ian Hughes , assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, followed workers over nine consecutive weeks to explore whether political information consumed during personal time spills over into the workplace.
The team tracked 308 full-time U.S. workers during the 2024 presidential primary season and found that weeks filled with more negatively perceived political information were associated with higher anxiety and lower work engagement. Weeks that included more positively perceived political information, meanwhile, were associated with greater hope, stronger engagement and a greater willingness to help co-workers.
"We know experiences from one part of life often carry over into another," Hughes said. "What hasn't received much attention is whether political information works the same way. People consume a tremendous amount of political content outside work, especially during election seasons, and we wanted to understand whether that has consequences that extend into the workplace."
Hughes and his colleagues surveyed participants every week during the primaries, focusing on the news, social media posts, podcasts and other political content the participants consumed when at home.
Politics doesn't stay home; anxiety drains workplace engagement
Participants reported how often they consumed political information, as well as how engaged, anxious, hopeful and helpful they felt at work.
Importantly, the researchers didn't attempt to determine whether political information was objectively positive or negative. Instead, participants reported whether they personally perceived the information they consumed as positive or negative.
The study found a consistent pattern when employees consumed more negatively perceived political information than was typical for them: higher levels of anxiety during the same week. That anxiety, in turn, was associated with lower workplace engagement, a measure that reflects employees' energy, enthusiasm and investment in their work.
"Political information is designed to capture attention and provoke emotional reactions," Hughes said. "The challenge is that those reactions don't necessarily disappear once people close an app or turn off the TV — they can continue influencing how people experience the rest of their day."
Rather than viewing political content as something separate from work, Hughes said organizations may need to recognize that employees often arrive carrying concerns generated elsewhere.
Hope can have workplace benefits
The study also found that when employees consumed more political information they viewed positively, they reported greater feelings of hope. Those increases in hope were associated with stronger work engagement and higher levels of helping behavior toward co-workers.
That distinction matters because discussions about political media often focus on stress, conflict and polarization. The findings suggest the emotional effects of political information are more complicated.
Rather than politics itself being inherently harmful, the study points to hope and anxiety as the mechanisms driving workplace outcomes.
How to cope ahead of coming elections
The researchers are not suggesting employees stop following politics, nor are they recommending employers attempt to influence what information workers consume.
Rather, they say, it's important to recognize that political information can be emotionally demanding. Just like any other source of stress, it helps to balance staying informed with activities that help people recharge.
The study lists coping and mitigation strategies, including:
- Workplace mental health resources and stress-management support.
- Leisure and recovery activities (leisure, rest, physical activity).
- Resource-building practices such as mindfulness, gratitude and sleep.
- Taking breaks from media consumption.
- Managers can help reduce political stress by increasing employees' sense of agency and control, which may include time off for voting or encouraging volunteering.
According to the study, "These practices provide alternative pathways to replenish hope and counteract the draining effects of political stress without requiring political disengagement."
Hughes notes the findings highlight the importance of understanding how political information shapes everyday experiences.
"An informed public is important, and our study isn't arguing otherwise," he said. "The takeaway is simply that political information has emotional consequences. As people spend more time engaging with that information, those emotions can affect other parts of life, and that includes work."
By Lesley Henton, Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
