Emotional Contagion and Public Risk Perception in Crisis Events on Social Media: Insights from the Chinese Context during COVID-19

Crisis events elicit emotional contagion and influence public risk perception, bringing out the societal response to emergencies. This study investigates emotional contagion and public risk perception on social media platforms during crisis events within the Chinese context. We analyze approximately 21 million unique COVID-19-related Sina Weibo posts from January 1st, 2020, to May 31st, 2020, utilizing the Weibo Five Basic Mood Lexicon and Simplified Chinese LIWC dictionary to calculate word frequency. Employing change-point detection and ANOVAs, we explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of emotional changes and public risk perception. Our findings reveal significant emotional shifts during the early stages of the pandemic, consistent with heightened perceived risk levels. Moreover, the emotional impact and risk perception of the epidemic reveal temporal consistency and independence from geographical location. Cultural disparities may contribute to the divergent findings between China and the Western context. This study underscores the significance of context-specific insights and offers implications for risk communication, public engagement, and policymaking in future crises.