While most headlines focus on the holiday season’s financial impact on brands and consumers, the reality at home looks different. For many Americans, the holidays mark a shared cultural moment that naturally prompts self-reflection. Over cozy family dinners, at company gatherings, and while volunteering at toy, clothing, and food drives, people look back on the year, talk more with one another, reconnect with their communities, and reassess their priorities for the year ahead.
It’s a time to reset and a time when people are considering their values, whether they know it or not. For political campaigners, this matters: Messaging is most persuasive when people’s personal values are activated.
Holidays Surface the Values That Also Drive Swing Voter Decision-Making
During the holiday season, voter engagement increases when messaging taps into the universal values that naturally spike this time of year. In our latest Voter Trends Report, Resonate outlines the personal values shaping each of the four crucial swing voter groups, along with actionable guidance on how to craft messages that resonate with those values.
Trump Moderates
These voters value their reputation. For them, the holidays are about social respect, preserving a good public image, and avoiding embarrassment or dishonor. This value will play a major role in their decisions during the season.
Tip: Consider using themes of strong values and being a good citizen in your messaging.
Young Voters
Young Voters value creativity. The holiday season is a time when people show how much they care about others in the form of gestures, gifts, or donations, and this voter group wants to have the freedom to be creative in how they give.
Tip: Consider using themes of innovation, originality, and cleverness in your messaging.
Registered Non-Voters
This group values tolerance, accepting those who are different. During the holiday season, they may be particularly inclined to be broad-minded and accepting of the beliefs and behaviors of others.
Tip: Consider using themes of acceptance, inclusion, harmony and diversity in your messaging.
Hispanic Voters
Resonate data shows Hispanic Voters care about maintaining and preserving traditions and customs, including those within the family, culture, and religion. During the holiday season, they may be inclined to do things in a way that maintains continuity with the way they have always been done, and they could be more altruistic and sympathetic to others.
Tip: Consider using themes of family, religion, appreciation for culture and traditional practices and beliefs in your messaging.
Seasonal Sentiment Reveals a Core Truth About Voter Persuasion
Holiday behavior proves:
- People make emotional decisions first, rational decisions second.
- Voters respond more to shared values than policy details.
- The campaigns that win understand identity, not issue lists.
- This directly connects holiday psychology → persuasion psychology.
What Political + Advocacy Teams Can Learn from Seasonal Mindset Shifts
Here are the strategic takeaways for political campaigns:
- Center values before issues in messaging.
- Speak to belonging and shared identity, not arguments.
- Use narrative language over statistics when persuading.
- Tap into future orientation (new year/change/reset themes).
There’s no need to reference shoppers or religious ideology. Instead, just focus on human behavior.
The Takeaway: Holiday Sentiment Is a Preview of Election-Year Persuasion
The same values that guide how families come together during the holidays are the values that shape how voters choose their leaders.
To learn more about how the current issues these swing voters care about, as well as the major drivers behind voter behavior as we enter the 2026 midterm election cycle, download the brand new Resonate Voter Trends Report today.
