Tides of emotion: the impact of the COVID-19 policy on public sentiment in Shanghai during the city closure

This study analyzes the impact of six epidemic prevention policies implemented in Shanghai during the COVID-19 outbreak on residents' emotions by analyzing approximately 270,000 posts on Sina Weibo, using the Plutchik Emotion Wheel model and the BERT model. The research covers emotions such as "disgust," "sadness," "anticipation," revealing the dynamic relationship between policies and changes in emotions.Research findings indicate that negative emotions such as disgust and sadness increase significantly during adverse events like the initiation of lockdowns; conversely, positive emotions like trust see a certain degree of increase after favorable events such as the resumption of work. Additionally, the study discovered a substantial rise in the proportion of disgust following the work resumed announcement. This increase stems from the people of Shanghai's dissatisfaction with the sudden lifting of the lockdown leading to potential health risks, discontent with the government's mismanagement during the lockdown, and concerns over their economic repayment capabilities and employment. This paper aims to provide theoretical support for the Chinese government in addressing the next public health crisis, based on the findings of this study.