What is Corona Crisis

In this work, the authors study the search behavior and search volume on the internet of the Swiss population during the COVID-19 lockdown and in particular during the application of the step-wise exit plan of the Swiss Government after the first wave in 2020. The investigation concentrates on the general topics of interest, the sentimental state reflected in online searches and keywords related to active search patterns about the steps of the exit plan. The authors investigate how the interest in COVID-19 evolves over time, and how specific social and community topics are searched differently during lockdown and during the step-wise opening phase. Whereas the results were partially as the authors expected, others were surprising. They also found indication for cultural differences in online search behavior. The work shows how digital tools can be used to feel the sentiment of an entire population, especially interesting in crisis times such as a global pandemic.