Time and distance matter: Study on the public sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic in a mega-city

This study examines public sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering time, space, and the severity of the event, and leverages the marginal rate of substitution (MRS). Based on the context of COVID-19 transmission in a mega-city, we set up a novel theoretical model of public sentiment, sho...

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Veröffentlicht in:Cities 2024-02, Vol.145, p.104689, Article 104689
Hauptverfasser: Liu, Lu, Fu, Yifei
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:This study examines public sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering time, space, and the severity of the event, and leverages the marginal rate of substitution (MRS). Based on the context of COVID-19 transmission in a mega-city, we set up a novel theoretical model of public sentiment, showing the time-space substitution effect. Then, using the daily panel data including all the prefecture-level cities in China, empirical results show that the level of public sentiment is positively related to the severity of the event, while it is negatively related to the distance and the length of the period. To make the level of public sentiment equal, 1 km farther from the center of the event will require 0.072 to 0.130 days closer to the starting time on average. We further investigate the relationship between the level of public sentiment and time, which can be better depicted as a reversed U-shape. The original contribution of the piece arises principally around the novel application of the concept of the marginal rate of substitution drawn from neoclassical economics, providing insightful policy implications for pandemic control. •This study examines public sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic.•We set up a novel theoretical model including severity, time, and space.•We show the time-space substitution effect of public sentiment toward major events.•The level of public sentiment is negatively related to the distance and the length of the period.•Marginal rate of substitution (MRS) is calculated as 0.072 to 0.130 on average.
ISSN:0264-2751
1873-6084
DOI:10.1016/j.cities.2023.104689