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Social Science Computer Review
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Identifying Events Using Computer-Assisted Text Analysis

Juliane Landmann

ZUMA-GESIS, Mannheim, Germany, j.landmann{at}web.de

Cornelia Zuell

ZUMA-GESIS, Mannheim, Germany, cornelia.zuell{at}gesis.org

Events such as elections, significant changes in laws, but also extreme weather conditions, may affect societal values and, consequently, public opinion. Accordingly, a central assumption for public opinion surveys is that respondents' behavior is influenced by significant events. It is therefore necessary to consider the impact of potential events when designing a survey and, whenever possible, to control for these. To support the documentation of such societal events, the authors have developed a procedure to identify events using computer-assisted text analysis. Event words are selected and grouped by means of exploratory factor analysis based on a comparison of a large text corpus that forms the reference for a smaller text corpus consisting of media items on significant events. As a result, the factors represent significant events during a specific time period.

Key Words: computer-assisted text analysis • statistical association approach • reference text corpus • event reporting • newspaper articles

This version was published on November 1, 2008

Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 26, No. 4, 483-497 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0894439307313703
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