Oil Spill Response Policies to Bridge the Perception Gap between the Government and the Public: A Social Big Data Analysis

Oil spills cause socioeconomic and ecological damage to the marine environment and local communities. Implementing policies to effectively cope with such incidents is a challenging task due to the negative public perceptions about governmental responses. Using social big data, this study analyzed such negative perceptions in South Korea and the factors influencing them. The findings indicate that the public pays relatively little attention to oil spills but expresses serious concerns about the economic and ecological damage and the health and safety of volunteers and local residents. To improve public perception of oil spills, response strategies should aim to (1) analyze it using social big data to reduce the gap between governmental and public spheres, (2) release timely and accurate information to resolve civil distrust and dissatisfaction, (3) minimize direct damage to local communities and ecosystems affected by oil spills, and (4) reduce the impact on volunteers’ and local residents’ health and safety. Furthermore, through a multidisciplinary approach that combines social big data analysis methods with marine scientific research, it can contribute to creating a disaster response policy tailored to policy consumers.