Understanding Public Perception of Measles-Rubella Vaccination in Indonesia Using Social Media

Abstraksi

Pulse Lab Jakarta partnered with UNICEF to screen a collection of public tweets to understand public perceptions and attitudes regarding measles-rubella (MR) vaccination in Indonesia. PLJ analysed publicly collected Twitter data from 1 July 2017 to 27 September 2017, which was filtered using a prepared taxonomy and processed in Crimson Hexagon Forsight. During this period, a few anti-vaccine signals were observed in the analysis. However, when compared to the number of conversations with an appeal encouraging others to participate in the campaign, the negative sentiments were observed to a much smaller degree. Despite the significant difference between the positive and negative sentiments, both have implications: the negative sentiments indicate that some members of the Indonesian society doubt the need for an MR vaccination; while the positive sentiments show a general support from the Indonesian society to vaccinate children against the viruses. Given the number of active Twitter users in Indonesia, Twitter data can be used to inform and shape national campaigns throughout the country on various social issues. Furthermore, the findings reveal trends and patterns that can be helpful to policymakers, and can complement some of the traditional research methods and practices. Depending on the sensitivity of the topic, some people may be more careful, less explicit in expressing their opinions via public social media accounts. The possibility exists that more conversations and debates regarding vaccination may be occurring via more private digital channels, such as on WhatsApp or private Facebook group that cannot be detected by using Crimson Hexagon.