Mental DailyMental Daily
  • Clinical
  • Health
  • I/O
  • Cybernetic
  • Social
  • More
    • Opinion
    • My Bookmarks
Aa
Mental Daily
Aa
  • Clinical
  • Health
  • I/O
  • Cybernetic
  • Social
  • Opinion
Search
  • Clinical
  • Health
  • I/O
  • Cybernetic
  • Social
  • More
    • Opinion
    • My Bookmarks
Follow US
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Inc. Profile
  • Google Play Store
© 2022 - Mental Daily. All Rights Reserved.
Cyber

Members of Congress remain deeply divided on COVID-19 issues, Twitter study shows

Staff Writer
Staff Writer 3 years ago
Updated 2021/10/27 at 1:04 PM
Share
SHARE

Members of the U.S. Congress are deeply divided on issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic — so much that the polarization can be reflected in their posts on the social networking site Twitter, according to new research.

As published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, a group of researchers at Ohio State University utilized artificial intelligence to initiate a thorough analysis of more than 30,000 tweets by congressional members in early-2020.

Based on their findings, partisanship was easily identifiable in the 280 characters contained in each Twitter message. Researchers found that Democrats sent out a drastically higher number of tweets compared to Republicans, pertaining to COVID-19.

Democrats initiated more than 19,000 tweets regarding COVID-19, while Republicans sent out nearly 11,000. The number of tweets surged following the first wave of confirmed cases in California and as the country entered into a pandemic.


The tweets varied by political affiliation; for instance, Democrats were more likely to discuss public health and safety, meanwhile, Republicans discussed national unity, economy, and bilateral relations with China.

“We find that Democrats discussed the crisis more frequently—emphasizing threats to public health and American workers, while Republicans placed greater emphasis on China and businesses,” the co-authors explained in their findings.

“Polarization in elite discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in mid-February – weeks after the first confirmed case in the United States – and continued into March. These divergent cues correspond with a partisan divide in the public’s early reaction to the crisis.”

“These results highlight the degree to which a political consensus regarding the COVID-19 pan- demic failed to quickly materialize in the United States,” the co-authors concluded.

Photo: Getty Images

You Might Also Like

Researchers use machine learning to predict growth of brain tumors

Young people lack trust in mental health smartphone apps

Survey finds close to half of American teens have been bullied online

New survey finds very few get their news on Telegram but report positive experiences

Survey finds a substantial number of U.S. adults experienced psychological distress post-COVID-19

TAGGED: COVID-19, tech, Politics, social media
Staff Writer June 27, 2020
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Print
Previous Article Americans of various ethnicities have distinct reasons why they feel the news media misunderstands them
Next Article Extreme left and right-leaning ideologies correlated with the sharing of more hyper-partisan information on social media

Recommended

Cyber

Researchers use machine learning to predict growth of brain tumors

1 Min Read
Cyber

Young people lack trust in mental health smartphone apps

1 Min Read
Social

Survey finds close to half of American teens have been bullied online

1 Min Read
Cyber

New survey finds very few get their news on Telegram but report positive experiences

1 Min Read
//

We are a trusted online source for research news and resources on all aspects of the mind and human behavior.

Verticals

  • Clinical
  • Health
  • Social
  • I/O
  • Opinion

Social

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Inc. Profile
  • Google Play Store

Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • The Editor
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Follow US

© 2022 Mental Daily. All Rights Reserved.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Inc. Profile
  • Google Play Store

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?