IMANI’s Public Understanding and Literacy for Sentiment and Election Analysis (PULSE) report has unveiled a notable surge in negative public sentiments towards the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) compared to the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Conducted between February 13 and February 26, PULSE aimed to gauge public sentiment on social media platforms concerning the major political contenders for the upcoming elections. It analyzed influential trends and influencers shaping discourse across platforms including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Web, TikTok, Podcasts, and Newsfeeds.
The report highlighted that while positive public opinion remained at 10% with an equal proportion between NPP and NDC mentions, negative sentiments saw a marked increase for both parties. The NPP experienced an almost 8% rise in negative sentiment, surpassing the NDC’s 4% increment during the period under review.
According to the report, individuals expressing negative sentiments toward the NPP outnumbered those targeting the NDC. The percentage increase in negative sentiment against the NPP was approximately 7%, compared to the NDC’s 4% increment.
Despite the ministerial reshuffle initiated by President Akufo-Addo, which saw approximately 12 ministers affected, including 10 cabinet members and two regional ministers, the move failed to enhance positive sentiments for the NPP. Instead, it attracted negative sentiments towards the party.
“The inference here is that generally more people feel negative about both parties, with the NPP, however, having more mentions and more growing negative sentiment,” the report stated.
Moreover, the report highlighted that despite the reshuffle, the NPP continued to lead in social media mentions.
However, the increase in social media reach of Dr. Bawumia, the NPP’s candidate, coincided with a rise in negative sentiments. Conversely, Candidate Mahama’s reach on non-social media web sources decreased by 6.78%, resulting in a significant drop in negative sentiments.
