{"title":"Unpacking the impact of public attention on green investment: Insights from climate sentiment on social media","authors":"Yamin Xie , Qixuan Ying","doi":"10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104325","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the impact of public attention on corporate green investment decisions and the mechanisms involved, focusing on the role of climate sentiment. Public attention is measured using the Baidu search index, while corporate green investment is assessed as the ratio of environmental investments to total revenue. A climate sentiment index is constructed using text analysis and lexicon methods. The results indicate that increased public attention significantly enhances corporate green investment, with negative climate sentiment amplifying the effects of public oversight. Non-technology firms exhibit greater responsiveness than technology firms. Additionally, the new “Environmental Protection Law” strengthens the moderating role of sentiment. Firms located in eastern regions and major urban centers demonstrate higher sensitivity to public attention and climate sentiment. This research underscores the critical role of climate sentiment in shaping corporate sustainability strategies, offering new theoretical insights and practical guidance for advancing green finance and sustainable development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48226,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Financial Analysis","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 104325"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Review of Financial Analysis","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057521925004120","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS, FINANCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study examines the impact of public attention on corporate green investment decisions and the mechanisms involved, focusing on the role of climate sentiment. Public attention is measured using the Baidu search index, while corporate green investment is assessed as the ratio of environmental investments to total revenue. A climate sentiment index is constructed using text analysis and lexicon methods. The results indicate that increased public attention significantly enhances corporate green investment, with negative climate sentiment amplifying the effects of public oversight. Non-technology firms exhibit greater responsiveness than technology firms. Additionally, the new “Environmental Protection Law” strengthens the moderating role of sentiment. Firms located in eastern regions and major urban centers demonstrate higher sensitivity to public attention and climate sentiment. This research underscores the critical role of climate sentiment in shaping corporate sustainability strategies, offering new theoretical insights and practical guidance for advancing green finance and sustainable development.
期刊介绍:
The International Review of Financial Analysis (IRFA) is an impartial refereed journal designed to serve as a platform for high-quality financial research. It welcomes a diverse range of financial research topics and maintains an unbiased selection process. While not limited to U.S.-centric subjects, IRFA, as its title suggests, is open to valuable research contributions from around the world.