Communication University of China, Beijing, China.
Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China.
J Med Internet Res. 2021 Jan 15;23(1):e26089. doi: 10.2196/26089.
China is at the forefront of global efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccines and has five fast-tracked candidates at the final-stage, large-scale human clinical trials testing phase. Vaccine-promoting policymaking for public engagement is a prerequisite for social mobilization. However, making an informed and judicious choice is a dilemma for the Chinese government in the vaccine promotion context.
In this study, public opinions in China were analyzed via dialogues on Chinese social media, based on which Chinese netizens' views on COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination were investigated. We also aimed to develop strategies for promoting vaccination programs in China based on an in-depth understanding of the challenges in risk communication and social mobilization.
We proposed a novel behavioral dynamics model, SRS/I (susceptible-reading-susceptible/immune), to analyze opinion transmission paradigms on Chinese social media. Coupled with a meta-analysis and natural language processing techniques, the emotion polarity of individual opinions was examined in their given context.
We collected more than 1.75 million Weibo messages about COVID-19 vaccines from January to October 2020. According to the public opinion reproduction ratio (R), the dynamic propagation of those messages can be classified into three periods: the ferment period (R=1.1360), the revolution period (R=2.8278), and the transmission period (R=3.0729). Topics on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in China include price and side effects. From September to October, Weibo users claimed that the vaccine was overpriced, making up 18.3% (n=899) of messages; 38.1% (n=81,909) of relevant topics on Weibo received likes. On the contrary, the number of messages that considered the vaccine to be reasonably priced was twice as high but received fewer likes, accounting for 25.0% (n=53,693). In addition, we obtained 441 (47.7%) positive and 295 (31.9%) negative Weibo messages about side effects. Interestingly, inactivated vaccines instigated more heated discussions than any other vaccine type. The discussions, forwards, comments, and likes associated with topics related to inactivated vaccines accounted for 53% (n=588), 42% (n=3072), 56% (n=3671), and 49% (n=17,940), respectively, of the total activity associated with the five types of vaccines in China.
Most Chinese netizens believe that the vaccine is less expensive than previously thought, while some claim they cannot afford it for their entire family. The findings demonstrate that Chinese individuals are inclined to be positive about side effects over time and are proud of China's involvement with vaccine development. Nevertheless, they have a collective misunderstanding about inactivated vaccines, insisting that inactivated vaccines are safer than other vaccines. Reflecting on netizens' collective responses, the unfolding determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance provide illuminating benchmarks for vaccine-promoting policies.
中国在开发 COVID-19 疫苗方面处于全球领先地位，目前有五种候选疫苗已进入最终的、大规模的人体临床试验阶段。为了公众参与，疫苗推广的决策制定是社会动员的前提。然而，在中国的疫苗推广背景下，做出明智的选择是中国政府面临的一个困境。
本研究通过分析中国社交媒体上的对话，分析了中国公众的意见，旨在了解中国网民对 COVID-19 疫苗和接种的看法。我们还旨在通过深入了解风险沟通和社会动员方面的挑战，制定促进中国疫苗接种计划的策略。
我们提出了一种新的行为动力学模型 SRS/I（易感-阅读-易感/免疫），以分析中国社交媒体上的意见传播模式。结合元分析和自然语言处理技术，我们研究了个体意见在其给定语境中的情感极性。
我们从 2020 年 1 月至 10 月共收集了 175 多万条关于 COVID-19 疫苗的微博消息。根据公众意见再生产率（R），这些消息的动态传播可以分为三个时期：发酵期（R=1.1360）、革命期（R=2.8278）和传播期（R=3.0729）。中国对 COVID-19 疫苗接受度的话题包括价格和副作用。从 9 月到 10 月，微博用户声称疫苗价格过高，占消息的 18.3%（n=899）；微博上与疫苗相关的 38.1%（n=81909）的话题获得了点赞。相反，认为疫苗价格合理的消息数量是其两倍，但点赞较少，占 25.0%（n=53693）。此外，我们获得了 441 条（47.7%）关于副作用的正面微博消息和 295 条（31.9%）负面微博消息。有趣的是，灭活疫苗引发了比其他任何疫苗类型更激烈的讨论。与灭活疫苗相关的话题的转发、评论和点赞数分别占 53%（n=588）、42%（n=3072）、56%（n=3671）和 49%（n=17940），占中国五种疫苗总活动的 53%。
大多数中国网民认为疫苗比以前认为的便宜，而一些人则表示他们买不起全家人的疫苗。研究结果表明，随着时间的推移，中国人对副作用越来越倾向于积极，为中国参与疫苗开发感到自豪。然而，他们对灭活疫苗存在集体误解，坚持认为灭活疫苗比其他疫苗更安全。从网民的集体反应来看，COVID-19 疫苗接受度的展开决定因素为疫苗推广政策提供了有启发性的基准。
