AUTHOR=Wang Lin , Xian Zuquan , Du Tianyu 

TITLE=The public information needs of COVID-19 vaccine: A study based on online Q&A communities and portals in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.961181

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.961181

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Purpose: This study analyzes the topic and distribution features of public information needs for COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese online Q&A communities and portals. It aims to identify the features and differences of public COVID-19 vaccine information needs at different periods. 
Design/Methodology: A total of 14296 questions about COVID-19 vaccine from four Chinese mainstream online communities and portals were studied following five procedures: data collection, data processing, K-means clustering, LDA topic model analysis, and needs identification. 
Findings: The study identified the topical features of public information needs for COVID-19 vaccine during the first pandemic outbreak, pre-listing, and post-listing periods. It constructed a framework of public vaccine information needs. The information needs can be classified into eight main categories and sixteen subcategories. The eight main categories are  vaccination(53.72%), evaluation and impact of other social events (17.90%), vaccine R&D and listing (9.49%), vaccine side effects and countermeasures (5.63%), vaccination necessity (4.98%), vaccine patent exemption (3.26%), vaccination effectiveness(2.94%) and essential knowledge of vaccine (2.08%)，percentage refers to the distribution of information needs data under various categories.
Implications: Online communities and portals should provide dynamic and tailored information services according to changing public vaccine information needs. The public information need regarding vaccination is prominent and should be addressed first. In the follow-up booster vaccination efforts, government health departments should prioritize susceptible groups, such as overseas students, airport workers, and healthcare workers. 
Originality/Value: We built a conceptual framework using data mining techniques and analyzed the COVID-19 vaccine information needs distribution at different times and among different social groups, focusing on the theme of public information needs for COVID-19 vaccine. It makes recommendations for government health departments and online platforms to improve the quality of COVID-19 vaccine information services for the public and provide a reference for the vaccination of COVID-19 booster shots.