Social Media Analytics for Understanding Public Perception of Green Energy in Malaysia: Trends, Challenges, and Insights
摘要
This study examines the public opinion towards the utilization of green energy in Malaysia through social media analysis. Facebook and Threads (N = 89 posts) data were collected through green energy-related keywords. Text mining techniques—sentiment analysis, topic modeling (LDA, BERTopic), and co-occurrence network analysis—were performed using R and Voyant tools. Findings indicate that public opinion is mostly neutral to positive, with the conversation topics revolving around solar power and sustainability. Public trust in initiatives like the Net Energy Metering (NEM) and Green Energy Tariff (GET) remains in question due to policy ambiguity and misinformation. Topic modeling found subjects pertaining to policy effectiveness, infrastructure, and electric vehicles. The findings suggest that social media offers an economically efficient and scalable means for tracking public sentiment in real time. Findings from this research can be used to shape more effective communications and inform policy and business decision-making to promote greater acceptance of sustainable energy in Malaysia.