A master programme thesis from Aalborg University
How do Danish politicians invoke sentiment of justice in parliamentary debates concerning sexual crimes? A sentiment and thematic analysis on rape and non-consensual image distribution
[Hvordan appellerer danske politikere til retsfølelse i folketingsdebatter omhandlende seksualforbrydelser? En sentiment- og tematisk analyse af voldtægt og billeddeling uden samtykke]
Author(s)
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-06-09
Pages
85 pages
Abstract
This master’s thesis investigates how Danish politicians invoke sentiments of justice in parliamentary debates on rape and non-consensual image distribution between 2014 and 2024. Employing an Explanatory Sequential Design, the study combines quantitative sentiment analysis with qualitative thematic coding to examine both the presence and political use of justice-related emotion in legislative discourse. In the first phase, a lexicon-based sentiment analysis conducted in Python reveals measurable differences in sentiment polarity across party lines, particularly during moments of legal reform and heightened public attention. Politicians from the red political party block more consistently express positive, victim-oriented sentiments to assert moral leadership, while politicians from the blue political party block display greater variation, often engaging in sceptical or punitive rhetoric. The second phase involves a thematic analysis in MAXQDA, drawing on both theory-driven and exploratory coding. This analysis uncovers how rhetorical strategies differ across political party blocks: the red political party block emphasizes victim legitimacy and trauma, whereas the blue political party block foregrounds offender rights, legal certainty, and proportionality. Notably, the framing of digital sexual crimes reveals contested hierarchies of victimhood, with digital victims more often portrayed as less deserving. The findings highlight that sentiments of justice function as strategic, symbolic tools in political communication - used to shape public discourse, frame legal reforms, and assert issue ownership in a sensitive and evolving policy domain.
Documents
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