GEO-POWER-EU Research Report: Sentiment Analysis of the EU, U.S., Russia, China and Turkey in Social Media of the Western Balkans and three EaP countries
GEO-POWER-EU has published a new research report analysing social media sentiment toward five major international actors — the European Union (EU), the United States (US), Russia, China, and Türkiye — across six countries in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership (EaP).
The study covers three Western Balkan countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia) and three EaP countries (Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia). Using a Natural Language Processing (NLP)–based lexicon methodology combined with hybrid human-automated sentiment scoring, the report examines approximately 37,000 posts collected from X (Twitter) and Facebook between 14 February and 14 March 2025.
The report reveals clear regional contrasts in how the EU, the US, Russia, China, and Türkiye are perceived online. While the EU, the US, and Russia dominate discussions, their emotional reception differs significantly between the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership. China and especially Türkiye display distinct and in some cases more favourable patterns of sentiment. The study also highlights notable differences across social media platforms, demonstrating that public sentiment is not expressed uniformly online.