COVID-related changes in public attitudes toward wildlife consumption on a Chinese social media site

Abstract

Wildlife consumption in China has been relatively common, which has led to a substantial wildlife farming industry and caused concern among some conservationists. The assumed link between COVID-19 and wildlife consumption attracted significant public attention and led to a change in wildlife management policies in China. However, it is unclear how the Chinese public perceives wildlife consumption and whether they are supportive of the wildlife management policies introduced. We collected and analyzed 488,016 posts from a prominent Chinese social media site—Weibo—from September 1, 2019, to August 31, 2020. Our results suggest that during our study period, COVID-19 dramatically altered people's attitudes toward wildlife consumption; following the emergence of the pandemic, posts spiked and overwhelmingly called for a stop to wildlife consumption. We selected pangolins, bats, wild pigs, and snakes for in-depth analysis, where disease and conservation were the top themes discussed. When the wildlife consumption ban in China was introduced in February 2020, the majority of Weibo users supported it. However, not all users did, including those concerned about the wildlife farming industry and those questioning the link between COVID-19 and wildlife consumption. Users also discussed traditional Chinese medicine, including its impacts on wildlife consumption, conservation, and medical efficacy. Our results indicated that understanding public sentiment is useful for evaluating support for conservation policies and interventions.