Shift In Public Attitudes Research Articles

ANTI-AGING COSMETIC PROCEDURES: BENEFITS AND RISKS

The rising demand for aesthetic interventions reflects a broader cultural trend toward enhancing physical appearance and rejuvenation, fueled by technological advancements and increased accessibility of invasive and non-invasive cosmetic procedures. Skin aging, driven by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors, results in visible changes such as wrinkles and reduced skin elasticity. The growing availability of cosmetic procedures, including botulinum toxin injections, dermal fillers, and surgical options like rhinoplasty and liposuction, underscores a shift in public attitudes toward cosmetic enhancement and concealing of visible signs of aging. Social media platforms play a crucial role in influencing treatment decisions, changing perceptions and practices of cosmetic procedures. However, uncontrolled expansion of these procedures is associated with risks, including psychological distress and physical complications. Technological innovations, such as ultrasound-guided injections and 3D facial modelling, are improving procedural accuracy, patient safety, and satisfaction. This review examines the driving factors behind the surge in cosmetic procedures, addresses some issues in the field, and evaluates how emerging advanced technologies are enhancing outcomes and safety.

Hype or hope? Ketamine for the treatment of depression: results from the application of deep learning to Twitter posts from 2010 to 2023.

To investigate societal perceptions of ketamine's use in depression therapy by analysing Twitter posts from January 1, 2010 to April 1, 2023. Using Twitter as the social media platform of choice, and employing search terms based on (depression OR depressed OR depressive) AND (ketamine OR esketamine OR Spravato), we collected English-language tweets from January 1, 2010, to April 1, 2023. Using unsupervised machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) techniques, including Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and BERTopic, the study identified prevalent topics surrounding public chatter around the use of ketamine in depression treatment. Manual thematic analyses further refined these topics into themes. Out of an initial dataset of 99,405 tweets, after removing duplicate tweets, re-tweets and tweets posted by organizations over Twitter, 18,899 unique tweets from presumably individual users were analysed. Analysis of temporal trends revealed a shift in public attitudes, particularly after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s 2019 approval of ketamine for depression. Three major themes emerged: a changing regulatory landscape, cautious optimism, and personal experiences with the drug. There was an initial spike in discussions post-FDA approval in 2019. Thereafter, cautious optimism (Theme 2) decreased among the general public, with more personal accounts (Theme 3) highlighting the potential benefits for some treatment-resistant patients. Limitations of the study include Twitter's inherent biases towards younger, English-speaking demographics. In summary, the public's multifaceted perception leans towards a hopeful stance on ketamine's therapeutic potential for depression.

Attitudes toward stuttering of college students in the USA and China: A cross-cultural comparison using the POSHA-S

PurposeThis study compared the attitudes toward stuttering among college students in China and the USA using the POSHA-S survey, which assesses knowledge about stuttering and attitudes toward it. We investigated how cultural and social differences between the two groups influenced these attitudes. MethodsWe collected 199 responses to the POSHA-S survey from various universities in China and the USA. We conducted a statistical analysis of 15 summary scores generated from the POSHA-S to determine if there were significant differences in attitudes toward stuttering between the two groups. Additionally, we retrieved percentile ranks relative to the global POSHA-S database to compare attitudes in both groups with global median scores. ResultsThe study revealed that Chinese college students hold more negative attitudes toward stuttering compared to their American counterparts and the global median scores. We discussed the social and cultural factors that may contribute to these attitudes. Furthermore, our findings emphasized the importance of addressing the lack of accurate information about stuttering in China, which could be a key factor driving these negative attitudes. ConclusionThese results underscore the urgent need to raise awareness about stuttering and promote a shift in public attitudes, especially among college students in China, who play influential roles in society's future.

СУСПІЛЬНО-ПОЛІТИЧНІ НАСТРОЇ ГРОМАДЯН США В КОНТЕКСТІ МІГРАЦІЙНОЇ КРИЗИ 2022 – 2024 РОКІВ

This article is devoted to the attitudes of U.S. citizens toward new residents in the context of the migration crisis of 2022–2024. Understanding the socio-political views of Americans provides deeper insights into the intense confrontation between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress, which began in late 2023 and continued into early 2024. The study aims to clarify how public sentiments changed following the surge in illegal immigration and to identify the reasons behind these changes in public perception. Therefore, the goal of the research was to determine American citizens’ attitudes toward immigration into the U.S., and to identify the causes of their concerns and changes in attitudes during the migration crisis of 2022–2024. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the introduction and analysis of new sources on the history of the American migration crisis of 2022–2024. Based on empirical data, it has been proven that the surge in illegal immigration, rather than migration in general, led to significant shifts in public attitudes toward migrants, and subsequently, to a political crisis in the country. The methodological foundation of the article is the principle of historicism, widely applied in contemporary historical research practices. To accomplish the research objective, a positivist approach was employed, according to which the study must be based on empirical data derived from sources. The comparative method was used in the analysis of source materials, allowing for a detailed observation of changes in public sentiments over a specific period. Conclusions. The migration crisis of 2022–2024, which the U.S. faced, became the country’s greatest humanitarian challenge in decades. It exacerbated internal political strife due to widespread public dissatisfaction with the influx of illegal migrants. This dissatisfaction is clearly traceable through statistical data from government bodies and public opinion surveys conducted by major U.S. research centers such as Pew Research Center and Gallup. The highest percentage of citizens, since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, expressing a desire to reduce immigration levels is a clear indication of the crisis that has engulfed the country.

Analyzing Shifts in Public Attitudes towards Pet Air Travel Pre- and Post-COVID-19: A Text Mining and Semantic Network Exploration of Online Portals

Analyzing Shifts in Public Attitudes towards Pet Air Travel Pre- and Post-COVID-19: A Text Mining and Semantic Network Exploration of Online Portals

Policy realignment and competition in attention markets

Over the past decade, a rapid shift in public attitudes towards large corporations has propelled antitrust law from obscurity to a favourite tool among progressive and conservative populists.1 Several factors account for this rise in antitrust’s political salience, one of which is the remarkable success of a new wave of anti-bigness advocates in attention markets.2 These advocates have branded themselves as 21st-century trustbusters, promoting their anti-bigness agenda as an ‘anti-monopoly movement’. They have adeptly converted their gains in attention markets into political influence and control over antitrust institutions. Their achievements have sparked both optimism and concerns that we might be witnessing an anti-monopoly realignment, with anti-bigness ideologies on the verge of reshaping antitrust policies. This essay explores the plausibility of an anti-monopoly realignment transforming antitrust law and policy. At the core of the anti-bigness movement lies the belief that failed antitrust policies have contributed to, or exacerbated, a wide range of social, economic, and political problems, resulting in ‘excessive market concentration [that] threatens basic economic liberties, democratic accountability, and the welfare of workers, farmers, small businesses, startups, and consumers’, denying the public the ‘benefits of an open economy’, and ‘widening racial, income, and wealth inequality’.3 Building on this premise, anti-bigness crusaders contend that their anti-monopoly agenda will restore competition in the American economy and reverse the trends.

The National Happiness Index of Bhutan and its Enlightenment

The Kingdom of Bhutan has garnered international attention for its unique approach to national policy and its focus on qualitative rather than quantitative measures. In particular, the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) has been embraced by Bhutan as the main indicator of its success as a nation, and has served as an example of a new way of measuring social progress. This paper will explore the concept of GNH, the development of the National Happiness Index (NHI) in Bhutan, and how this approach to governance could be incorporated into public policy in other countries. The paper will then examine the potential for other countries to adopt a similar approach to governance. It will discuss some of the challenges that may need to be addressed for this to be successful, such as the need for reliable data, the difficulty of measuring intangible factors, and the need for a shift in public attitudes and beliefs. Finally, the paper will present some of the potential benefits of adopting a GNH-based approach, such as increased citizen engagement and satisfaction, improved economic and social stability, and a greater focus on sustainability. Overall, this paper will explore the concept of GNH and the development of the National Happiness Index in Bhutan, as well as the potential for other countries to adopt a similar approach.

Integration Policies and Public Perceptions of Immigrants in Europe

National mechanisms of migrant integration into the host society and the wider social context in which migration occurs may affect the construction of public attitudes towards migrants regardless of their origin or status. By combining the data of two international studies: the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) and the European Social Survey (ESS), this paper examines national policies regarding migrant integration and the public perception of migrants in the host society in selected European countries. This analysis highlights especially the shifts in public attitudes as possible consequences of the 2015/2016 European “migration crisis”. The data from 27 European countries that participated in the last waves of both MIPEX2020 and ESS2018 were analysed according to the four-dimensional MIPEX categorisation: 1) Comprehensive integration, 2) Equality on paper, 3) Temporary integration, and 4) Immigration without integration (Integration denied). These categories of states’ migration policies were then combined with the public perceptions of immigrants examined by the ESS. Multilevel regression models demonstrated that the respondents from countries with well-developed integration policies express a more positive attitude towards immigrants and acknowledge their contribution to all areas of the host society. A higher proportion of non-EU-27 immigrants in the country correlates with a more negative perception of immigrants’ impact on the host country. Even though the MIPEX score does not reflect clearly the shift in migration policies affected by the European “migration crisis”, it could be considered a stable, though relatively weak predictor of anti-immigrant prejudice. In conclusion, this study's findings suggest that better-developed policies of political participation and immigrant inclusion foster more positive attitudes towards immigrants.

Convergence of Public Participation, Participatory Design and NLP to Co-Develop Circular Economy

The concept of a circular economy is at a crossroads. To date, it has been largely driven by top-down national or trans-national legislation such as EU Circular Economy Package or Chinese Circular Economy Promotion. Bottom-up or grassroots engagement has been minimal and innovation has been largely restricted to use of 3R or 4R frameworks to reduce, reuse, recycle materials and products or recover waste as energy. Greater implementation of a circular economy needs a paradigm shift in public attitudes coupled with greater innovation that moves from 3R to 9R framework. Building on the insights gained from the successful transition of two Scandinavian cities of Växjö and Sønderborg to becoming fossil fuel-free economies, the article explores use of natural language processing tools to create shared narratives and stories from large format public engagement that expresses common interests, values and priorities that in turn can contribute to a participatory design of a circular economy. The article uses published data from Christchurch ‘Share an Idea’ as a case study.

Changing Hearts and Plates: The Effect of Animal-Advocacy Pamphlets on Meat Consumption.

Social movements have driven large shifts in public attitudes and values, from anti-slavery to marriage equality. A central component of these movements is moral persuasion. We conduct a randomized-controlled trial of pro-vegan animal-welfare pamphlets at a college campus. We observe the effect on meat consumption using an individual-level panel data set of approximately 200,000 meals. Our baseline regression results, spanning two academic years, indicate that the pamphlet had no statistically significant long-term aggregate effects. However, as we disaggregate by gender and time, we find small statistically significant effects within the semester of the intervention: a 2.4 percentage-point reduction in poultry and fish for men and a 1.6 percentage-point reduction in beef for women. The effects disappear after 2 months. We merge food purchase data with survey responses to examine mechanisms. Those participants who (i) self-identified as vegetarian, (ii) reported thinking more about the treatment of animals or (iii) expressed a willingness to make big lifestyle changes reduced meat consumption during the semester of the intervention. Though we find significant effects on some subsamples in the short term, we can reject all but small treatment effects in the aggregate.

The productive power of rising China and national identities in South Korea and Thailand

Drawing on the insights of the constructivist school approach, this article joins the debate on the effects of rising China in Asia. The existing scholarship devoted to no-material aspects of China’s rise focused either on China’s ‘soft power’ initiatives or their reception by certain audiences. In this article, rising China and its governance model, are construed as a form of productive power, one that is expected to bring about not only shifts in material relations and perceptions but also transformations in the national identities of countries in the region. This article focuses on South Korea and Thailand, two countries with fundamentally different political systems but a similar pattern of recent interactions with China. It analyzes the policymaking elites’ discourse and public attitudes and explores the productive effects of China’s rise on national identities in the two countries. This article argues that the impact of China’s rise on elites’ discourse has been largely negligible with narratives on kinship and historical ties being used by the elites mostly for instrumental reasons. At the same time, this article suggests that the recent shifts in public attitudes towards greater acceptance of authoritarian values observed in South Korea and Thailand, may be indicative of the productive effect of rising China on national identities in both countries.

Formation and breakdown of the alliance between state and civic forces in post-2013 Egypt: a state-in-society approach

Purpose This paper aims to examine why the alliance formed between non-Islamist forces and state actors to oust Mohamed Morsi from power in 2013 broke down quickly. Design/methodology/approach This paper makes use of original data set derived from three waves of surveys fielded in 2011, 2014 and 2015 that ask questions about public threat perception. Around 10 elite interviews were also conducted to further test the study’s hypothesis. Findings On the one hand, non-Islamists, civic forces challenged the status and interests of state actors in a way that made state actors view them with heightened distrust. On the other, many civic forces, in face of high threat perception, prioritized law during and order after Morsi’s removal, driven – at least partly – by shifts in public attitudes. Originality/value Many views look at transitions in the Arab world from the angle of how Islamists interact with traditional power holders. Such an approach, however, could be reductionist in many ways because it disregards civic forces. This is a point this paper seeks to address.

Changing Hearts and Plates: The Effect of Animal-Advocacy Pamphlets on Meat Consumption

Social movements have driven large shifts in public attitudes and values, from anti-slavery to marriage equality. A central component of these movements is moral persuasion. We conduct a randomized-controlled trial of pro-vegan animal-welfare pamphlets at a college campus. We observe the effect on meat consumption using an individual-level panel data set of approximately 200,000 meals. Our baseline regression results, spanning two academic years, indicate that the pamphlet had no statistically significant long-term aggregate effects. However, as we disaggregate by gender and time, we find statistically significant effects within the first two months: reductions in poultry and fish for men and beef for women. We merge food purchase data with survey responses to examine mechanisms. Those participants who (i) self-identified as vegetarian, (ii) reported thinking more about the treatment of animals or (iii) expressed a willingness to make big lifestyle changes reduced meat consumption during the semester of the intervention.

Reparations for "Comfort Women"

This paper studies feminist geopolitical practices in South Korea in the context of “comfort women” forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese military around the Second World War. Although there has been a considerable amount of literature penned on the comfort women issue, existing discussions focus largely on the conflict between nationalist and feminist paradigms, while largely minimizing feminist activism and changing gender narratives within Korean society. Therefore, this research aims to expand the field by considering the struggles that comfort women have endured through the lens of feminist geopolitical scholarship. I argue that comfort women activism constitutes a form of feminist geopolitical practice in a way that challenges masculine gender narratives. It has opened up new spaces where comfort women survivors can produce a sense of “survivorhood” and move beyond passivity throughout their lives. The rise of their active voices signals the overturning of traditional patriarchal structures; consequently, along with other forms of activism, these narratives have eventually led to a shift in public attitudes. Unlike how nationalist accounts were dominant in the early 1990s, the increased public attention towards the feminist accounts in the mid-2010s has subsequently increased media coverage of survivors and feminist practices.

A New Muslim Community: Children of Islam and Scotland †,‡

The experience of being a Muslim in Scotland today is shaped by the global and national post-9/11 shift in public attitudes towards Muslims, and is infused by the particular social, cultural, and political Scottish ways of dealing with minorities, diversity, and integration. The paper explores the development of Muslim communities in Scotland, highlighting the ongoing changes in their structure and the move towards a Scottish experience of being Muslim. This experience combines a sense of civic and social belonging to Scotland with a religious and ideological commitment to Islam.

Changing Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage: A Three-Wave Panel Study

Opinions toward gay marriage, also known as same-sex marriage, have become dramatically more favorable in the last 20 years. Given the more accepting attitudes of younger Americans, generational replacement is one widely noted engine of change. However, the pace of shifts in public attitudes has been too rapid for this to be the sole explanation. Identifying other causes of increasing support has been difficult due to reliance on cross-sectional associations. Using nationally representative panel data from 2008 to 2016, we test three potential explanations for changes in public attitudes toward gay marriage. Our findings suggest that increased interpersonal contact with gays and lesbians, declining religiosity, and increasing levels of education in the U.S. all contributed to the rise in public support for same-sex marriage.

Influence of recreational activity on water quality perceptions and concerns in Utah: A replicated analysis

Both social structural factors and direct sensory experiences can contribute to the development of environmental perceptions and concerns. We use two separate surveys of Utah adults to explore the association between sociodemographic characteristics and participation in recreational activities on water quality perceptions and concerns. We find that engaging in outdoor recreation is systematically associated with more positive water quality perceptions and higher levels of concern about impaired water quality. However, water quality perceptions appear to be shaped more by social characteristics (age, education, gender, race, religion, and income) and by generic measures of overall recreation behavior than by indicators of participation in particular forms of outdoor recreational activity. There is modest evidence that hikers, birdwatchers, and anglers are generally more likely to express concerns about impaired water quality, while boaters have more positive perceptions and lower levels of concern. Management implications•The baseline results of this study can be used by water managers in Utah to track shifts in public attitudes toward water quality as the state grapples with rapid climatic and demographic changes in the coming years.•Certain types of water recreation (e.g. hiking and birdwatching) are consistently predictive of greater concern about poor water quality. More frequent participation in these types of recreation may lead to increased receptivity to public policies aimed at addressing water quality problems.•Some demographic groups in our sample are more likely to engage in outdoor recreation, which may have important implications for public engagement.

Growing the natural man: the hirsute face in the antebellum North

ABSTRACTThis article examines shifts in public attitudes toward beards in the North before the Civil War. While newspapers and magazines depicted beards as unsavory, unnatural, and unhealthy in the 1820s and 1830s, but by the mid-1850s, opinion had shifted completely. It argues that this change resulted from an expanding influence of the Romantic movement and a greater emphasis on sentiment and emotion in northern culture.

The clinical implications of legalizing marijuana: Are physician and non-physician providers prepared?

IntroductionPassage of voter-driven marijuana reform laws signals a shift in public attitudes for marijuana use. For providers, legalization may necessitate practice modifications, particularly regarding patient-provider conversations about use and risk. We examined healthcare providers' knowledge of marijuana laws and health implications, professional practice behaviors, and attitudes about training. Materials and methodsWe surveyed 114 Colorado-based providers who care for children, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women using a Venue-Day-Time survey methodology throughout Colorado. The survey captured providers' (e.g., physicians, nurses, medical assistants) knowledge of state marijuana laws, risk perceptions, counseling practices, and continued training needs. ResultsProviders were knowledgeable about marijuana laws, cautious supporting legalization, and perceived moderate to high risks, particularly for certain groups. About 50% of providers working with adolescents and pregnant or breastfeeding women assessed marijuana use “every” or “most” visits; 23% of those working with children reported such behavior. Conversations about specific risks varied between groups. Few providers felt completely knowledgeable about marijuana health risks and lacked confidence talking to patients about this issue. ConclusionsProviders frequently assess patients' marijuana use; however, they are uncomfortable and inconsistent talking to patients about specific marijuana health effects.Additional education is warranted, particularly as it relates to talking to patients about the danger of second hand smoke exposure, underage use, safe storage, and the over-consumption of edibles.

Sixty-two years of national insurance in Israel

During its 62 years of existence, the National Insurance Institute (NII) has undergone major changes, in line with the radical shifts in Israeli society, that have affected its special status, its functions, the policies it pursued, the organizational and managerial manner of its operation and other aspects of its activities. All these have had an immense impact on the wellbeing of the population as a whole and especially on the welfare of the weaker population groups. This article examines some major features of these changes, including the NII’s position within the governmental structure, the changing nature of public control over the organization, the shift in public attitudes toward its functioning, the protection of value of benefits in times of changing economic circumstances, the extent of its universal approach and its relationship with the insured population.