Monkeying around on Twitter (now X): How big data and social media can be harnessed by zoos and other animal care facilities to examine public opinion trends

Abstract

Animal care facilities typically collect opinions from the people who attend their facility but measured perceptions of these institutions may be biased if they only survey people who have already chosen to visit. This study explores a different perspective by examining public opinion of five types of animal care facilities across all Twitter posts between July 2010 and July 2020. Analyses were completed with the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool by Brandwatch, which uses large-scale qualitative content analysis to detect behavioural trends by social media users. Zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks and safari parks are viewed positively on Twitter but sentiment is becoming more negative. Circuses are generally disliked and sentiment continues to decline. These perceptions from Twitter users may be indicative of an increasing disconnect between these facilities and the public. Using big social media data would increase the ability of animal care facilities to tailor their outreach efforts to the needs of the public, reduce the resources needed to conduct some visitor studies and provide methods for facilities with limited resources to compare data from other institutions.