Understanding Dutch public sentiment during the COVID-19 outbreak

The PuReGoMe project from Utrecht university, aims to increase understanding of the sentiment of the Dutch population during COVID-19 by analyzing real-time Twitter data using machine learning and natural language processing approaches.

Public sentiment (the opinion, attitude or feeling that the public expresses) has always always been attracting the attention of government, as it directly influences the implementation of policies. In the current epidemic situation, understanding the opinion of the general public becomes even more important. However, as we know from the Co-Well project, the pandemic situation makes common research approaches such as face-to-face interactions and interviews challenging. Meanwhile, about 2.8 million users in the Netherlands use Twitter to share their opinions, making it a valuable platform for tracking and analyzing public sentiment. To understand the variation of Dutch public sentiment during the COVID-19 outbreak period, this project is analyzing real-time Twitter data using machine learning and natural language processing approaches.

To conclude, an interesting method to use for evaluating well-being, and safe research from a distance as well!

See also: Dutch General Public Reaction on Governmental COVID-19 Measures and Announcements in Twitter Data