What Causes Different Sentiment Classification on Social Network Services? Evidence from Weibo with Genetically Modified Food in China

<b>(1) Background</b> Genetic Modification (GM) refers to the transfer of genes with known functional traits into the target organism, and ultimately the acquisition of individuals with specific genetic traits. GM technology in China has developed rapidly. However, the process is controv...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Youzhu Li, Xianghui Gao, Mingying Du, Rui He, Shanshan Yang, Jason Xiong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1345
Description
Summary:<b>(1) Background</b> Genetic Modification (GM) refers to the transfer of genes with known functional traits into the target organism, and ultimately the acquisition of individuals with specific genetic traits. GM technology in China has developed rapidly. However, the process is controversial; thus, future development may be hindered. China has become the world&#8217;s largest importer of GM products. Research on the attitudes towards GM food in China will help the government achieve sustainable development by better understanding and applications of the technology. <b>(2) Methods</b> This research utilizes data from Sina Weibo (microblog), one of the biggest social network services (SNS) in China. By using the self-created Python crawler program, comments related to the genetically modified food in the People&#8217;s Daily account are analyzed. Sentiment classifications are analyzed via multivariate logistic regression. <b>(3) Results</b> Based on the factor analysis, theme type characteristics, the propagation characteristics, the body information characteristics, and the comment characteristics have different degrees of influence on the user&#8217;s emotional distribution. <b>(4) Conclusion</b> Practical implications and conclusions are provided based on the results at the end.
ISSN:2071-1050