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Publication | 2020

Tracking EU Citizens’ Concerns using Google Search Data - Week 08

Analysing the evolution of EU citizens’ Google searches provides timely insights on their concerns in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

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Week 08
03 July 2020

  • Analysing the evolution of EU citizens’ Google searches provides timely insights on their concerns in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. This week the report explores citizens’ solidarity during lockdowns.

  • When the covid-19 pandemic hit Europe, EU citizens immediately reacted. In the wake of lockdowns, the search volume in queries related to donations surged. People searched how to donate money to hospitals and charitable organisations as well as how to donate blood to ensure hospitals could continue operating. 

  • EU citizens’ generosity can also be observed by how their interest in food banks skyrocketed in the wake of the pandemic. This trend was particularly pronounced in those countries more severely affected by the pandemic.

  • Finally, people actively searched for how to volunteer to help during an unprecedented crisis. The increase in searches related to volunteering is visible, and sizable, in the vast majority of EU countries. Searches related to volunteering include both nation-wide organisations and local-level associations.