Speaking one’s mind about politics is not unfamiliar for West Indians. We debate at home, in the grocery store, and on the streets — and doing so by word of mouth is the highway in which our sentiments are often communicated. But is it enough to understand what and why our neighbours feel the way that they do in real time, especially online?
Political Sentiment Analysis
This is where our MentionMeter political pulse comes in, monitoring and measuring sentiment shifts in Positive, Neutral, and Negative sentiment relative to online Bajan political discourse.
Since January 17th, our sentiment trends show noticeable changes in public sentiment across the political landscape, with focus on election preparations and campaign activities sweeping the island with renewed ferocity.
The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) is seeing a significant rise in positive sentiment (17.7%), centering on community engagement and the “Red Record” highlighting the party’s achievements since 2018 across Facebook and Instagram. The majority of conversations remain Neutral (65.7%), reflecting Mia Mottley’s active campaigning for re-election as Prime Minister of Barbados and BLP’s economic agenda. Meanwhile, Negative sentiment (16.6%) points to public criticism of the government’s performance and several controversies.
With the addition of three political parties under the banner of the People’s Coalition for Progress (PCP), measuring the strength of this new alternative to a two-party system is critical. Positive sentiment (8.3%) centres on plans for pension reform and community engagement. Neutral sentiment (82.1%) revolves around the party’s attitude towards tourism, with priority placed towards manufacturing and agriculture. Negative sentiment (9.5%) stems from the formation of the new coalition itself, calls for electoral reform, and concerns over increased cost of living.
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