How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Analysis
In the context of the European Joint Action on Vaccination, we analyzed, through quantitative and qualitative methods, a random sample of vaccine-related tweets published in Italy between November 2019 and June 2020, with the aim of understanding how the Twitter conversation on vaccines changed duri...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.824465/full |
| _version_ | 1828345713819385856 |
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| author | Francesco Gesualdo Lorenza Parisi Ileana Croci Francesca Comunello Andrea Parente Luisa Russo Ilaria Campagna Barbara Lanfranchi Maria Cristina Rota Antonietta Filia Alberto Eugenio Tozzi Caterina Rizzo |
| author_facet | Francesco Gesualdo Lorenza Parisi Ileana Croci Francesca Comunello Andrea Parente Luisa Russo Ilaria Campagna Barbara Lanfranchi Maria Cristina Rota Antonietta Filia Alberto Eugenio Tozzi Caterina Rizzo |
| author_sort | Francesco Gesualdo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the context of the European Joint Action on Vaccination, we analyzed, through quantitative and qualitative methods, a random sample of vaccine-related tweets published in Italy between November 2019 and June 2020, with the aim of understanding how the Twitter conversation on vaccines changed during the first phase of the pandemic, compared to the pre-pandemic months. Tweets were analyzed by a multidisciplinary team in terms of kind of vaccine, vaccine stance, tone of voice, population target, mentioned source of information. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to identify variables associated with vaccine stance. We analyzed 2,473 tweets. 58.2% mentioned the COVID-19 vaccine. Most had a discouraging stance (38.1%), followed by promotional (32.5%), neutral (22%) and ambiguous (2.5%). The discouraging stance was the most represented before the pandemic (69.6%). In February and March 2020, discouraging tweets decreased intensely and promotional and neutral tweets dominated the conversation. Between April and June 2020, promotional tweets remained more represented (36.5%), followed by discouraging (30%) and neutral (24.3%). The tweets' tone of voice was mainly polemical/complaining, both for promotional and for discouraging tweets. The multiple correspondence analysis identified a definite profile for discouraging and neutral tweets, compared to promotional and ambiguous tweets. In conclusion, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 caused a deep change in the vaccination discourse on Twitter in Italy, with an increase of promotional and ambiguous tweets. Systematic monitoring of Twitter and other social media, ideally combined with traditional surveys, would enable us to better understand Italian vaccine hesitancy and plan tailored, data-based communication strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T00:16:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-820f945f47c242c0aa27fccdb9eba1ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T00:16:13Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-820f945f47c242c0aa27fccdb9eba1ec2022-12-22T02:23:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-05-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.824465824465How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method AnalysisFrancesco Gesualdo0Lorenza Parisi1Ileana Croci2Francesca Comunello3Andrea Parente4Luisa Russo5Ilaria Campagna6Barbara Lanfranchi7Maria Cristina Rota8Antonietta Filia9Alberto Eugenio Tozzi10Caterina Rizzo11Multifactorial and Complex Diseases Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Human Sciences, Link Campus University, Rome, ItalyMultifactorial and Complex Diseases Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, ItalyMultifactorial and Complex Diseases Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, ItalyMultifactorial and Complex Diseases Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, ItalyMultifactorial and Complex Diseases Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyMultifactorial and Complex Diseases Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, ItalyClinical Pathways and Epidemiology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, ItalyIn the context of the European Joint Action on Vaccination, we analyzed, through quantitative and qualitative methods, a random sample of vaccine-related tweets published in Italy between November 2019 and June 2020, with the aim of understanding how the Twitter conversation on vaccines changed during the first phase of the pandemic, compared to the pre-pandemic months. Tweets were analyzed by a multidisciplinary team in terms of kind of vaccine, vaccine stance, tone of voice, population target, mentioned source of information. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to identify variables associated with vaccine stance. We analyzed 2,473 tweets. 58.2% mentioned the COVID-19 vaccine. Most had a discouraging stance (38.1%), followed by promotional (32.5%), neutral (22%) and ambiguous (2.5%). The discouraging stance was the most represented before the pandemic (69.6%). In February and March 2020, discouraging tweets decreased intensely and promotional and neutral tweets dominated the conversation. Between April and June 2020, promotional tweets remained more represented (36.5%), followed by discouraging (30%) and neutral (24.3%). The tweets' tone of voice was mainly polemical/complaining, both for promotional and for discouraging tweets. The multiple correspondence analysis identified a definite profile for discouraging and neutral tweets, compared to promotional and ambiguous tweets. In conclusion, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 caused a deep change in the vaccination discourse on Twitter in Italy, with an increase of promotional and ambiguous tweets. Systematic monitoring of Twitter and other social media, ideally combined with traditional surveys, would enable us to better understand Italian vaccine hesitancy and plan tailored, data-based communication strategies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.824465/fullvaccinesCOVID-19vaccine hesitancycommunicationsocial mediaTwitter |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Gesualdo Lorenza Parisi Ileana Croci Francesca Comunello Andrea Parente Luisa Russo Ilaria Campagna Barbara Lanfranchi Maria Cristina Rota Antonietta Filia Alberto Eugenio Tozzi Caterina Rizzo How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Analysis Frontiers in Public Health vaccines COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy communication social media |
| title | How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Analysis |
| title_full | How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Analysis |
| title_fullStr | How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Analysis |
| title_short | How the Italian Twitter Conversation on Vaccines Changed During the First Phase of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Analysis |
| title_sort | how the italian twitter conversation on vaccines changed during the first phase of the pandemic a mixed method analysis |
| topic | vaccines COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy communication social media |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.824465/full |
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