AUTHOR=Wang Bo , Jiang Zixiao , Cheng Dawei , Wang Ziao 

TITLE=Exploring public attention and sentiment toward carbon neutrality: evidence from Chinese social media Sina Weibo

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1200824

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1200824

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Exploring the public’s attention and sentiment toward carbon neutrality is conducive to improving the quality and effectiveness of policymaking, and promoting the realization of carbon neutrality goals. Firstly, this study draws on the Heuristic-Systematic Model and the Technology Acceptance Model to propose a social psychological model to explain the public attention and sentiment formation process. Second, a research framework is based on the heuristic cues (information source credibility) and the systematic cues (topics of the information content) proposed. Using posts on carbon neutrality from the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo as the data source, this study uses statistical analysis, the Mann-Kendall method, keyword analysis, the BERT model, and the LDA model to explore public attention and sentiment. The results show that: 1) men, people living east of the Hu line (economically developed regions), and the public in the energy finance market are more concerned about carbon neutrality; 2) high public attention and great dynamic changes in public attention toward carbon neutrality could be trigged by highly credible government or international governmental organizations’ information; 3) public sentiment toward carbon neutrality is mostly positive; however, specific topics affect public sentiment differently. The research results contribute to policymakers' better understanding of the trend of public attention and sentiment toward carbon neutrality, and support improvements in the quality and impact of policymaking.