Use of the Baidu Index to Measure Public Attention in China on the China–Myanmar Border

Sage Open, Volume 14, Issue 4, October-December 2024.
As one of the most unstable border areas, the China–Myanmar border has become a prevalent issue in international affairs in recent years, affecting a variety of policy debates from illegal immigration, illicit trade, geopolitical strategy, and continental bilateral cooperation. Baidu, currently the leading online search engine in China, has created the Baidu Index to gather and analyze internet search data. This study analyzed keyword searches on the Baidu Index related to the China–Myanmar border for the period 2011–2021. The study investigated search volume using trend research, demand mapping, and geographic and demographic distribution. The results showed steady growth throughout the 10-year research period for online searches on the China–Myanmar border, with a dramatic increase in 2015. Searches were mainly by men aged 20–39 years in southwest China. Baidu users were most interested in the trafficking of women and girls, followed by the 2015 Kokang conflict and ongoing COVID-19 cases in Ruili, Yunnan Province. Search trend data suggested that the fastest-growing topics of interest were maps of the China–Myanmar border, followed by militarized conflicts along the border. Policymakers can use the results of this study to understand the public concern about the China–Myanmar border in formulating more effective public governance measures.Plain language summaryBased on a network perspective, this study uses the big data from the Baidu Index to analyze the keyword searches of Chinese netizens on the China–Myanmar border between 2011 and 2021. This approach provides a new angle in border security research. Motivated by the development of internet search trend gathering and analysis tools to provide a new batch of data for assessing public opinion about international relations and features of various border security issues, we draw on data to explore what Chinese netizens think about the China–Myanmar border. Simultaneously, we aim to establish whether the search trend data reflect real China–Myanmar border issues and to investigate the characteristics and priorities of people searching for information on the China–Myanmar border, which will facilitate more targeted border management and policies by government authorities. However, we do not acknowledge the factors shaping public attitudes about the China–Myanmar border. Although the Baidu Index is a reliable and novel data source for analyzing the border security issue from the public perspective in China, it does not reflect the uneven internet access concerns based on geographic regions.

Read More