Negative comments and discussions surrounding Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has seen a significant decrease.
This is according to a recent study conducted by the renowned think tank IMANI Africa
According to the findings, there has been a noteworthy 13% decline in unfavorable mentions of Dr. Bawumia across various social media platforms from February to March 2024.
The analysis forms a crucial part of the Public Understanding and Literacy for Sentiment and Election Analysis (PULSE) report, an initiative by IMANI Africa aimed at shedding light on prevailing sentiments expressed online. During the scrutinized period from February 26 to March 26, 2024, the NPP experienced a surge in positive sentiment, rising from 10.22% to 10.71%.
In contrast, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) witnessed a drop in positive sentiments on social media, declining from 10.22% to 9.50% over the same timeframe
The study also said « The independent hopeful Nana Kwame Bediako still remains the most talked about or dominant in terms of social media attention. His social media following has grown massively as well as the frequency and length of engagement due to his recent listening tour and related media interviews, which puts him literally as the most visible force among the other contenders. »
His main Hashtag, #thenewforce, has garnered many mentions and positive sentiments of just over 50% of all related mentions, while negative sentiment is around 15% of all mentions and comments.
The comprehensive analysis by IMANI Africa extended to various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter (now X), YouTube, web platforms, TikTok, Podcasts, and Newsfeeds.
The objective was to gauge the public sentiment surrounding key political figures in anticipation of the upcoming election and to pinpoint influential trends and individuals shaping the discourse online.
Part of the report highlighted, « The sentiments are of three values, i.e., positive, negative, and neutral. All these are also collated and analyzed to determine the language, tone of comments and tweets, and tone of commentary and posts related to both candidates. »
« NPP has taken a lead in positive sentiment on the social media posts monitored. The NDC has dropped from 10.22% to 9.50% while the NPP increased marginally to 10.71% from 10.22%. Public negative sentiment has significantly dropped for both, with NPP having an almost 13% drop in negative sentiment, » the report stated.
Furthermore, the report added, « … The sentiments of NDC fell from 10.22% to 9.5% over the period. NDC took a marginal hit in its positive sentiments for the period, meaning that with NPP’s relative gain of 10.71%, the shift in sentiments is almost of the same magnitude, although NDC’s drop is about 0.2% more. This means that there could be more positive mentions of the NPP on social media than before. »
Infographics from the report
Pulse
