Concerns for their health and everyone else’s topped Filipinos’ minds as the main issue that influenced or occupied their minds on social media at the height of the COVID-19 crisis from March-June this year, a big data analysis of close to half a billion public social media data points (posts, comments, shares, likes, and mood icons) during the second quarter of 2020 showed.
BluePrint.PH (www.blueprint.ph) chief executive officer Eero Brillantes said the non-commissioned big data social analysis report for the 2nd quarter showed that Filipinos’ occupation with issues pertaining to health or “kalusugan” “dominated their mind space so much that they gave less attention than before to losing their jobs and set aside worries over the peace and order situation with the emergence of local officials showing decisive leadership skills during the crisis.”
BluePrint.PH and its Singapore-based Data Mining and Artificial Intelligence partner firm conducted a big data analysis of close to half a billion public social media data points on Facebook, from March 6-June 5 this year, to delve into Filipinos’ approach to vital social issues to help craft responsive policies and messaging campaigns of public, private sector entities, and reform constituencies.
Brillantes said more than 317 million public social media data points by Filipinos from March 6 to June 5 this year concerned health issues, as Filipinos like the rest of the world watched with bated breaths how the dreaded COVID-19 virus swept the globe and turned seven million people worldwide gravely sick and killed almost half a million of them.
“This (health) issue is a national one and the importance is persistent and overwhelmingly universal (during the period covered by the big data analysis),” said Brillantes.
He noted that anger by many Filipinos were devoted at the outset to the perceived maltreatment of health frontliners that quick government response addressed right away while positive feelings were evoked by stories of sacrifices and sharing by others despite the threat to their health during the crisis.
“The amount of attention given by Filipinos on health issues is so much that they would act better on policy issues or proposals when these are anchored on health, even those concerning the return to work of everyone after the easing of quarantine rules, travel and even improving the quality of life of Filipinos,” he noted.
Such was the concern of Filipinos for health issues that the second key issue that occupied them was housing or “pabahay,” another reflection of the sudden forced stay of almost everyone in their homes during the three-month period when the pandemic spread throughout all communities and nations in the world, Brillantes noted.
“Housing is discussed in conjunction with work, family, security,” he said of the more than 102 million public social media data points made by Filipinos about the issue of “pabahay” from March 6 to June 5 this year.
Brillantes said that because of its metropolitan nature and the abruptness of the quarantine measures implemented by the Philippine government to control the spread of COVID-19, the issue of housing was mostly confined in Metro Manila where most of the “heated comments” in social media originated.
Rice or “bigas” accounted for the third key issue that occupied Filipinos’ minds during this period, with almost 54 million public social media data points on the issue monitored as the government at the national and local levels scrambled to mitigate the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Filipino families with supplies of food packs containing rice of varying volume during the first weeks of the crisis, Brillantes said.
“This issue represents a rare combination of national concern, local leadership, and an essential aspect of the Filipino identity, heritage, and importance,” he said of the different issues about rice and how local leaders proved their creativity and managemet skills in the amount of rice they supplied to their constituents that became social media focus during the three month period.
GOV’T GETS LEEWAY FROM PINOYS ON ‘NORMAL TIMES’ CONCERNS
The traditional issues that occupied Filipinos during normal times – education, overseas Filipino workers, public transport and unemployment – had lesser influence on Filipinos’ minds during the second quarter of 2020, Brillantes revealed.
He said that based on BluePrint’s big data analysis, Filipinos left much of the decision on education issues – including the disrupted schooling of their children and the future of education in a contact-less environment in the hands of the Department of Education as reflected in most of the more than 27 million public social media data points they made on the issue.
At the same time, Brillantes said Filipinos devoted less time about issues concerning OFWs, normally a big influencer issue for many Filipinos because almost 40% of families have relatives or members working or living abroad with only 21 million public social media data points.
“These posts on social media concerning OFWs focused mainly on the suspended 3% increase in OFWs’ Philhealth contributions and other health insurance concerns, and these discussions branched into other concerns such as family, future, economy, and airport hassles” encountered by the tens of thousands of OFWs forced to return back to the Philippines as the global economic slowdown cost them their jobs, he added.
A similarly low level of attention was given to issues concerning public transportation as most Filipinos stayed home throughout the quarantine period when all public transportation means were suspended, with only 15 million public social media data points concerning that issue.
The same level of less concern for issues of unemployment pervaded among Filipinos’ social media presence, Brillantes noted.
“The lack of enthusiasm for this issue indicates the communal attitude is closer to fatalism regarding this issue, or a recognition that the issue may be beyond governmental power,” he said in assessment of the lack of anger noted in the more than 13 million public social media data points monitored concerning the issue of unemployment.
“Not surprisingly, the emergence of strong community leaders in the person of provincial governors and city and municipal mayors whose management skills shined and garnered much praise and mention in mainstream and social media made Filipinos think less of peace and order issues, or ‘kaayusan at katahimikan,’ as most of the public social media data points on this issue involved praises of the ability of local officials to keep peace and order in their communities and prayers from Catholic groups for the intercession of their favorite saints for safety from harm dominated social media posts on this issue,” Brillantes said.
Issues about small business and access to information depended largely on the announcements of big initiatives from institutions like the World Bank to become focal points in social media, he concluded.
A total of 11 issues were scanned and analyzed for the period. These include peace and order, rice, health, unemployment, housing, small business, education, utilities, OFWs, access to information, public transportation.
Brillantes’ company BluePrintPH uses big data analytics in understanding people’s thinking to assist policy making and in the crafting of social and political messaging for both the public and private sectors., as well as with reform constituencies.
BluePrint.PH.’s big data analysis report Quarterly Big Data Index (BDI) can be accessed with permission from the company. ###
For Reference, please contact:
Eero Brillantes, 09178509514
Girly Brillantes, 09271200181