Can Greek Twitter Provide Insight into the Users’ Opinions on the Adverse Effects on Health Caused by Climate Change?

Abstract

Climate change is a pressing global issue with significant impacts on human health. This study used a digital surveillance system on Twitter to investigate Greek-speaking users’ sentiments and opinions regarding climate change’s effects on human health. The study utilized a set of 61 keywords to collect 2.774 tweets from the last decade, which were manually analyzed for content and user type. The analysis revealed that news outlets mainly published informational tweets, whereas personal accounts expressed attitudes, opinions, perceptions, and beliefs. Moreover, the study found that Greek-speaking Twitter users are actively discussing climate change, particularly its consequences on their health.

Keywords

• climate change
• public health
• digital surveillance systems
• semantic analysis
• Twitter