Oil Spill Response Policies to Bridge the Perception Gap between the Government and the Public: A Social Big Data Analysis

Joungyoon Chun,Choong-Ki Kim,Jeong-Hwan Oh

doi:10.3390/jmse8050335

Joungyoon Chun, Choong-Ki Kim + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8050335

Copy DOI

Abstract

Oil spills cause socioeconomic and ecological damage to the marine environment and local communities. Implementing policies to effectively cope with such incidents is a challenging task due to the negative public perceptions about governmental responses. Using social big data, this study analyzed such negative perceptions in South Korea and the factors influencing them. The findings indicate that the public pays relatively little attention to oil spills but expresses serious concerns about the economic and ecological damage and the health and safety of volunteers and local residents. To improve public perception of oil spills, response strategies should aim to (1) analyze it using social big data to reduce the gap between governmental and public spheres, (2) release timely and accurate information to resolve civil distrust and dissatisfaction, (3) minimize direct damage to local communities and ecosystems affected by oil spills, and (4) reduce the impact on volunteers’ and local residents’ health and safety. Furthermore, through a multidisciplinary approach that combines social big data analysis methods with marine scientific research, it can contribute to creating a disaster response policy tailored to policy consumers.

Highlights

Oil spills cause extensive damage to marine ecosystems and inflict enormous losses on local communities by interrupting fishing operations and tourism [1]
Recent studies on responses to oil spill incidents highlight the importance of linking governmental agencies, private business, volunteers, and local communities to compensate for disasters and restore affected areas [4]
The keyword trend analysis showed that mentions of “oil spills” in both the governmental and public spheres increased after oil spill incidents occurred (Figure 5)

Summary

Introduction

Oil spills cause extensive damage to marine ecosystems and inflict enormous losses on local communities by interrupting fishing operations and tourism [1]. Recent studies on responses to oil spill incidents highlight the importance of linking governmental agencies, private business, volunteers, and local communities to compensate for disasters and restore affected areas [4]. These studies indicate that the public plays an important role in the management of oil spill disasters and marine ecosystems [5]. Despite efforts by the government to manage oil spills and marine incidents, public perception of its responses often remains negative [1,6], thereby impeding its attempts to implement relevant policies. In Korea, these methods are perceived negatively, and their field application is rarely considered

Methods

Results

Conclusion