Evaluation of E-Scooter Media Coverage

Abstract

This study examines the attitudes and common themes of 840 e-scooter news articles from across the US, published between 2017 to 2020. Sentiment analysis suggests that media coverage does not appear to be predominantly in favor or against shared e-scooters. A word count analysis shows that the most discussed themes were conflicts with other road users, safety concerns, and regulation efforts. The findings reveal differences between regions but also common patterns, such as the decline in negative coverage with time.