As the government accelerates the distribution of rural solar power through the Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan, social conflict surrounding the initiative persists. In a situation where the justification for eco-friendly energy and concerns about environmental destruction are in sharp conflict, how do people actually perceive this issue? Understanding the specific issues flowing beneath public opinion, beyond simple pros and cons, is key to policy decision-making. This study introduces a case where public sentiment regarding rural solar power was analyzed through YouTube posts and comments using topic modeling techniques (Ha et al., 2022).

Background

The blind spot of public opinion that cannot be captured by traditional survey methods

While the government is promoting rural solar power projects with the goal of increasing farm income and transition to renewable energy, there are strong voices of opposition in the field due to reasons such as forest destruction and landscape damage. Previous studies have primarily grasped resident perceptions through surveys or civil complaint analysis, but these methods have limitations in capturing the broad public opinion that changes and spreads in real-time. In particular, as social media platforms like YouTube have recently become centers for information sharing and opinion formation, there is an increasing need to systematically analyze the spontaneous reactions of citizens online.

Read more >>