Searching for soil: Elucidating public interest in soil and soil conservation from 20 years of internet search trends

Abstract

Over the last two decades, soil science research has undergone rapid expansion. Understanding public interest in soil science is vital for evaluating dissemination efforts and situating it in the broader environmental discourse. Analyzing Google Trends search data from 2004 to 2023, this study investigates spikes in search volume index (SVI) for soil-related searches and potential influences. Significant spikes in SVI between 2019–2020 and 2021–2022 were observed for a number of soil characteristics and soil conservation searches. Similar spikes were observed for possible influences such as the documentary “Kiss the ground,” and SVI related to climate change and carbon sequestration. Notably, SVI for “sustainable development goals” aligned with similar patterns in SVI for “soil health,” indicating a possible link between soil interest and the United Nations’ sustainability goals. This study underscores the seemingly rising interest in soil science, possibly linked with dissemination events, and broader environmental concerns and policies.