Vaccine Perception on Digital Platforms: Topic Modeling of YouTube Comments

Vaccination stands as a preeminent public health measure in the fight against infectious diseases, with a proven track record of significantly reducing morbidity and mortality rates. However, the presence of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, particularly evident during the course of the pandemic, has emerged as a significant challenge. The present study analyzes public perceptions of vaccination by examining YouTube comments on 215 vaccine-related videos, which total over 94,000 comments. Employing advanced topic modeling techniques, such as Hierarchical Dirichlet Process (hLDA), Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA), and Non-Negative Matrix Factorization (NMF), the study identifies key themes, including vaccine safety, side effects, pharmaceutical ethics, and public trust in healthcare authorities. The findings indicate that debates frequently center on political, social, and scientific concepts. Vaccine hesitancy has emerged as a pervasive global phenomenon that transcends cultural boundaries. The dissemination of misinformation regarding the efficacy of vaccines and the safety of treatments, such as ivermectin, is a prevalent phenomenon on social media platforms. This poses significant challenges to public health efforts. The subjects of child vaccination and parental standpoints are also recurring topics of concern. This study underscores the pivotal function of digital platforms such as YouTube in influencing public attitudes regarding vaccination. This underscores the necessity for targeted communication strategies, advanced digital literacy, and proactive policies by social media platforms to address misinformation and promote evidence-based information. Such precautions are imperative to sustaining elevated vaccination rates and safeguarding public health in the digital age.