Using Google Trends for Investigating Flood Awareness of Thai Citizensduring 2011-2018

Abstract

This present study aimed at assessing people attention on flood awareness during 2011-2018 through the use of Google Trends. This was the first study in disasters field in Thailand that utilized this analytical tool to measure search queries of Thai citizens. Although flood events were ranked as the most periodic disastrous occurrence of Thailand, search volume index retrieved from Google Trends in monthly basis indicated a lack of interest in this topic among Thai Internet users. The greatest attention on flood events based on the search volume index, was in October, 2011 when more than 10 million residents of 65 provinces were impacted. Nevertheless, the search volume index of this topic radically declined in the following months. The term “disasters” was retrieved a lower attention by the Internet users when compared to flood topic in the same period of time. This study also found that the search volume index of disasters topic demonstrated a greater interest and more attention from Thai people than floods since year of 2013. Surprisingly, when used the term “flood awareness” and “flood preparedness” to investigate level of search interests on Google Trends, data showed no public attention on this topic as indicated by a tiny search volume index.