Starcom MediaVest Group’s analysis of online conversations surrounding the election debates shows that Gordon Brown has gradually attracted the most online buzz with a 38% share of discussion – achieving a high share of both negative and positive comments.
The data shows how discussions on social media networks developed and changed in terms of attitudes towards the party leaders from the airing of the first election debate up until midnight on Monday 3 May.
The analysis is based on data from over 1 million UK blogs, sites, forums, and social networks (including Twitter feeds and Facebook). The data was supplied by Whitevector.
Analysis highlights:
By leader:
Simon Stanforth, group research director, Starcom MediaVest Group, said: “We are seeing a clear difference in online sentiment towards the leaders versus the polls. It will be interesting to see if online discussions provide a more accurate reflection of people’s voting intentions, and perhaps Brown performing more strongly than the polls are predicting.
“What is certainly clear is that the debates have driven significant online discussion and helped shape sentiment of the online electorate.”