scholarly journals Public Perceptions and Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Nonpharmaceutical Interventions Across Six Countries: A Topic Modeling Analysis of Twitter Data (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Doogan ◽  
Wray Buntine ◽  
Henry Linger ◽  
Samantha Brunt
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Public ◽  
Twitter Data ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Nonpharmaceutical Interventions ◽  
The Relationship

BACKGROUND Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) (such as wearing masks and social distancing) have been implemented by governments around the world to slow the spread of COVID-19. To promote public adherence to these regimes, governments need to understand the public perceptions and attitudes toward NPI regimes and the factors that influence them. Twitter data offer a means to capture these insights. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to identify tweets about COVID-19 NPIs in six countries and compare the trends in public perceptions and attitudes toward NPIs across these countries. The aim is to identify factors that influenced public perceptions and attitudes about NPI regimes during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We analyzed 777,869 English language tweets about COVID-19 NPIs in six countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The relationship between tweet frequencies and case numbers was assessed using a Pearson correlation analysis. Topic modeling was used to isolate tweets about NPIs. A comparative analysis of NPIs between countries was conducted. RESULTS The proportion of NPI-related topics, relative to all topics, varied between countries. The New Zealand data set displayed the greatest attention to NPIs, and the US data set showed the lowest. The relationship between tweet frequencies and case numbers was statistically significant only for Australia (<i>r</i>=0.837, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and New Zealand (<i>r</i>=0.747, <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Topic modeling produced 131 topics related to one of 22 NPIs, grouped into seven NPI categories: Personal Protection (n=15), Social Distancing (n=9), Testing and Tracing (n=10), Gathering Restrictions (n=18), Lockdown (n=42), Travel Restrictions (n=14), and Workplace Closures (n=23). While less restrictive NPIs gained widespread support, more restrictive NPIs were perceived differently across countries. Four characteristics of these regimes were seen to influence public adherence to NPIs: timeliness of implementation, NPI campaign strategies, inconsistent information, and enforcement strategies. CONCLUSIONS Twitter offers a means to obtain timely feedback about the public response to COVID-19 NPI regimes. Insights gained from this analysis can support government decision making, implementation, and communication strategies about NPI regimes, as well as encourage further discussion about the management of NPI programs for global health events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Media frames and public perceptions of global poverty in the UK: Is there a link?

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam Vossen ◽  
Lau Schulpen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Global Poverty ◽  
Media Frames ◽  
The Public ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This study investigates the relationship between media frames and public perceptions of global poverty. Building on a frame analysis, the paper reconstructs prevailing poverty narratives in British news articles and non-governmental organizations’ (NGO’s) advertisements between 2011 and 2013. Following this, these narratives are compared with the narratives that emerge from public opinion studies. The findings suggest that there is a strong connection between media frames and public knowledge and perceptions of global poverty. Both the media and the public define poverty in developing countries’ terms of destitute victims, lack of development and bad governance. Both suggest that the causes of poverty are internal to developing countries and imply that there has been little progress in reducing global poverty.

scholarly journals What the Public Think about Social Services: A Report from Scotland

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1146-1166
Author(s):  
Trish McCulloch ◽  
Stephen Webb
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Welfare Institutions ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Two Stages

Abstract This article reports on findings of a government-funded research project which set out to understand what the public think about social services in Scotland. The authors were particularly keen to examine issues of legitimacy, trust and licence to operate for social services as they are framed in public perceptions. Drawing on a national online survey of 2,505 nationally representative adults, the findings provide the first and largest empirical data set on public perceptions of social services in Scotland. Data analysis occurred in two stages and employed descriptive statistical measurement and cross-tabulation analysis. The findings indicate that, overall, people in Scotland are positive about social services and the value of their impact on society. Furthermore, they believe that social services perform a valuable public role. These findings are significant for debates surrounding social services and suggest that the Scottish public has a more positive view of social services than social service workers and welfare institutions typically perceive. The findings demonstrate the need to develop a more theoretically rich understanding of the relationships between public perception, legitimacy and social licence in social services, including attention to co-productive models of engagement.

scholarly journals Adapting and Extending a Typology to Identify Vaccine Misinformation on Twitter

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (S3) ◽  
pp. S331-S339
Author(s):  
Amelia Jamison ◽  
David A. Broniatowski ◽  
Michael C. Smith ◽  
Kajal S. Parikh ◽  
Adeena Malik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Manual Annotation ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Machine Learning Methods ◽  
Twitter Data

Objectives. To adapt and extend an existing typology of vaccine misinformation to classify the major topics of discussion across the total vaccine discourse on Twitter. Methods. Using 1.8 million vaccine-relevant tweets compiled from 2014 to 2017, we adapted an existing typology to Twitter data, first in a manual content analysis and then using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling to extract 100 topics from the data set. Results. Manual annotation identified 22% of the data set as antivaccine, of which safety concerns and conspiracies were the most common themes. Seventeen percent of content was identified as provaccine, with roughly equal proportions of vaccine promotion, criticizing antivaccine beliefs, and vaccine safety and effectiveness. Of the 100 LDA topics, 48 contained provaccine sentiment and 28 contained antivaccine sentiment, with 9 containing both. Conclusions. Our updated typology successfully combines manual annotation with machine-learning methods to estimate the distribution of vaccine arguments, with greater detail on the most distinctive topics of discussion. With this information, communication efforts can be developed to better promote vaccines and avoid amplifying antivaccine rhetoric on Twitter.

Does Foundation Giving Stimulate or Suppress Private Giving? Evidence from a Panel of Canadian Charities

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iryna Khovrenkov
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Public Good ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Public ◽  
Private Giving ◽  
Unique Data ◽  
Private Donations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Canadian Charities

As non-governmental providers of public goods, charities are funded by governments and also by individuals and foundations. How do foundation grants to charities affect private donations to these organizations? The standard economic theory on voluntary contributions to the public good hypothesizes that foundation giving will crowd out private donations. An alternative giving dynamic may arise whereby foundations act as complements to private donations because they can provide a signal of charity quality to individuals and thereby influence their decisions to give. This article offers a rigorous empirical analysis of the relationship between foundation and private donations by utilizing a unique data set on Canadian social welfare and community charities matched with their foundation donors. Empirical findings confirm that an additional dollar of foundation grants to charities crowds in private giving by three dollars on average, suggesting that private donors may look to foundation grants for information on charities to make informed giving decisions.

scholarly journals Etnobotani Tanaman Kelor (Moringa oleifera Lam.) di Desa Kedungbulus Gembong Pati

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Brintan Yonaka Dhea Dani ◽  
Baiq Farhatul Wahidah ◽  
Andang Syaifudin
Keyword(s):  
Random Sampling ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Purposive Sampling ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
The Village ◽  
The Relationship

<em>The potential of  Moringa tree related to health properties is still not fully utilized by the people in Pati. Mrs. Muryati, a resident of Kedungbulus Village, Gembong Subdistrict, Pati, was one of the residents who was moved to campaign for the use of Moringa leaves. The purpose of this study was to determine public perceptions about the potential of Moringa plants in the village of Kedungbulus Gembong Pati. This research uses survey methods which include: literature study, field observations, interviews using questionnaires, semistructure interview techniques and using random sampling techniques and purposive sampling. Random sampling sampling from the community taken randomly, while purposive sampling sampling from community leaders such as informants of production houses, village heads, shamans etc. The results obtained from the relationship between community and Moringa plants are explained from interviews with the public perception of  Moringa plants.</em>

scholarly journals Reconfiguring the Relationship Between Intelligence Professionals and the Public: A First Step Towards Democratising New Zealand’s National Security?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Rogers ◽  
Shaun Mawdsley
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
National Security ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
University Leaders ◽  
The Relationship

The secrecy surrounding intelligence work has meant the relationship between New Zealand intelligence professionals and the public they serve has always been somewhat problematic. Over the past decade, leaks, scandals and a deadly act of terrorism have certainly not improved the public’s trust and confidence in the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications Security Bureau. While the Government has undertaken several measures to strengthen the credibility of those agencies, including initiating public inquiries and bolstering governance arrangements, its current approach is rather limited, has reached those limits and could now be counterproductive. In light of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques on 15 March 2019 to increase public involvement in New Zealand’s counterterrorism effort, we argue that it is time for this problematic relationship between intelligence professionals and the public to be rethought and reconfigured. To that end, we identify several concrete actions that parliamentarians and university leaders could consider taking to actively support intelligence professionals as they foster a society of informed citizens and create new opportunities to bring national security matters into the heart of democracy’s deliberative processes.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Political and Cultural Identity: A Case of Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md.Ishtiaq Ahmed Talukder
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Political Identity ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Muslim Majority ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Independent Country

Bangladesh’s ages old Bengali culture and heritage started from its language. Bangladesh has appeared as an independent country not long ago. It had to pay millions of lives within short period of time for its independence from Pakistan. This study will try to focus on the root cause which had affected the public perceptions and mobilise them towards war and defined their cultural identity. This article also discusses culture, cultural and political identity and their relationship in changing political thought and lastly the development of Bengali cultural identity into a political one in Muslim majority Bangladesh.<br>

scholarly journals The Relationship between Political and Cultural Identity: A Case of Bengali Muslim of Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md.Ishtiaq Ahmed Talukder
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Political Identity ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Muslim Majority ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Independent Country

Bangladesh’s ages old Bengali culture and heritage started from its language. Bangladesh has appeared as an independent country not long ago. It had to pay millions of lives within short period of time for its independence from Pakistan. This study will try to focus on the root cause which had affected the public perceptions and mobilise them towards war and defined their cultural identity. This article also discusses culture, cultural and political identity and their relationship in changing political thought and lastly the development of Bengali cultural identity into a political one in Muslim majority Bangladesh.<br>

scholarly journals Understanding the Public Discussion About the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Twitter Data: Text Mining Analysis Study

10.2196/25108 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. e25108
Author(s):  
Joanne Chen Lyu ◽  
Garving K Luli
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Public Discussion ◽  
The Public ◽  
Twitter Data ◽  
The World ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Centers For Disease Control

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a national public health protection agency in the United States. With the escalating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society in the United States and around the world, the CDC has become one of the focal points of public discussion. Objective This study aims to identify the topics and their overarching themes emerging from the public COVID-19-related discussion about the CDC on Twitter and to further provide insight into public's concerns, focus of attention, perception of the CDC's current performance, and expectations from the CDC. Methods Tweets were downloaded from a large-scale COVID-19 Twitter chatter data set from March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, to August 14, 2020. We used R (The R Foundation) to clean the tweets and retain tweets that contained any of five specific keywords—cdc, CDC, centers for disease control and prevention, CDCgov, and cdcgov—while eliminating all 91 tweets posted by the CDC itself. The final data set included in the analysis consisted of 290,764 unique tweets from 152,314 different users. We used R to perform the latent Dirichlet allocation algorithm for topic modeling. Results The Twitter data generated 16 topics that the public linked to the CDC when they talked about COVID-19. Among the topics, the most discussed was COVID-19 death counts, accounting for 12.16% (n=35,347) of the total 290,764 tweets in the analysis, followed by general opinions about the credibility of the CDC and other authorities and the CDC's COVID-19 guidelines, with over 20,000 tweets for each. The 16 topics fell into four overarching themes: knowing the virus and the situation, policy and government actions, response guidelines, and general opinion about credibility. Conclusions Social media platforms, such as Twitter, provide valuable databases for public opinion. In a protracted pandemic, such as COVID-19, quickly and efficiently identifying the topics within the public discussion on Twitter would help public health agencies improve the next-round communication with the public.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document