Co-Author: Michaela Sokol
The majority of the American population is currently under a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order due to COVID-19. However, as a result of the economic impact from coronavirus, some states are beginning to discuss and implement the prospect of reopening the economy and easing restrictions, making way for “the new normal”. There are a few states spearheading this initiative; Texas Governor Abbott was the first to begin discussing the reopening of the state’s economy on April 17, followed by Georgia’s Governor Kemp, who started easing restrictions on April 24. But what exactly does “reopening” entail and how will this affect people’s everyday lives? These are questions many citizens have been asking. With these new laws bringing about a wave of confusion, clear and concise communication between residents and community leaders is of the utmost importance.
Zencity analyzed 533,981 interactions in 19 cities in Texas and Georgia over the period of April 12-25, as state heads began announcing reopening their states in the wake of coronavirus. We were able to conclude the following:
In both Texas and Georgia, of those residents who had a clear position either in favor or against reopening, there was a preference for not reopening at this time (higher negative sentiment reflecting opposition to the decision to reopen and ease restrictions). At the time of both Texas and Georgia’s reopening announcements, there were those who opposed the Shelter at Home orders and called to reopen the economy, mostly motivated by the belief that the economic toll would be worse than the public health impact. On the other hand, counter-protesters advocated staying at home and maintaining the restrictions, showing a divide in residents’ attitudes towards the motion.
Negative sentiment reflects a belief that it is too soon to reopen. Many are concerned that the decision is driven by the prioritization of political or economic motives above saving lives and as a result, COVID-19 cases and deaths will surge. Many commenters expressed anger about this decision coming at a stage where numbers are still rising, especially given the absence of wide scale testing.
Ultimately, of those who had an opinion on the matter, negative sentiment was clearly greater than that of positive. However, and most notably, the bulk of residents felt neutral towards reopening. The general consensus being that it is not mandatory but instead, a choice offered to individuals and businesses on whether to reopen or go out, leaving others free to stay home if they feel unsafe.
Texas and Georgia, being the states spearheading the “reopening” movement, demonstrate interesting takeaways about residents’ main concerns and areas of confusion. When looking at the discourse as a whole, most of the discussions consisted of questions regarding specific aspects of the new guidelines.
In cities where mayors spoke out about the state-wide orders, the issue accounted for a higher share of the discourse, and gained traction following the Mayors’ posts on this issue. In these cities discourse on reopening reaches about 14% of coronavirus-related discourse, compared to only 3% in cities where the mayors did not post about reopening. This shows the power city leadership holds in making state-level discussions more accessible to residents.
As local governments continue to face new coronavirus related challenges, Zencity is here to support them every step of the way. See how we are helping local governments bolster their crisis communication efforts and enhance their overall emergency response with our Coronavirus Action Plan.