The conversation reached a peak in the week of June 21 – 27, with 112k mentions on social media.

Meanwhile, worldwide Google searches on the topic hit a peak in mid-June, aligning with what we’ve found on social.

So what’s triggering the ongoing worry?

Consumer Research found that people discussing second waves from March 1 to July 12 on social were particularly concerned about:

• America – 551k mentions
• Trump’s Covid-19 response – 162k mentions
• Employment – 114k mentions
• The relaxation of social distancing – 106k mentions
• Other people wearing not masks – 99k mentions

When we looked at the topic using BuzzSumo we found that it’s not just on social media that interest in second waves is spreading — it’s also happening in the news.

The number of articles about second waves increased 41% in June compared to May, and the number of people interacting with this content increased 29% in the same period.

The most engaged with stories about a second wave in June were:

1. Second U.S. Virus Wave Emerges as Cases Top 2 Million – Bloomberg, June 10
2. Widespread mask-wearing could prevent COVID-19: study – Reuters, June 10
3. China lockdown: Beijing shuts all schools as terrifying second wave strikes – Daily Express, June 16

These big stories tended to spark a boost in mentions of second waves on social media as they broke.

What have people been doing to protect themselves?

As we saw above, part of what is fueling worry about second waves are the protective measures others are taking (or not taking, as the case may be). To find out what people are doing in this regard we used our mobile survey tool Brandwatch Qriously.

The survey, conducted most recently between July 6 and July 13, asked 4,091 people in Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the US what precautions they were taking.

In the latest survey, 59% of respondents said they were social-distancing and 56% of respondents reported wearing a mask, while only 13% reported that they had worn gloves to protect themselves (and everyone else).

Looking at the data over time, glove usage has dropped 11% and the number of respondents who say they are social distancing has fallen by 5% since May 6.

Mask wearing has remained consistent according to our survey, with an average of 56% of respondents claiming they’ve worn one in our surveys since May 6. That’s a lot of people, but it still means that 44% of respondents, on average, haven’t been taking that precaution.

Masks have become a divisive issue because of this. From March to June, the most dominant emotion in online conversation was disgust. There are many people on social media calling for consistent usage to protect everyone and help stop the spread.

Negative conversation in the last four months has focused on:

• Politicians and public figures not wearing masks in public – 575k mentions
• People reluctant to wear masks while grocery shopping – 224k mentions
• People wearing masks incorrectly – 120k mentions

It’s clear that people are very worried about a second wave. This worry is fueled by media reports about ongoing developments, and by what people see as they go about their daily business.

Brands and businesses are in a unique place to help provide assurance to people, by making policies clear and setting a good example at every customer touch point. As we’ve previously noted, staff training is particularly important around this.

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Stay safe,

Brandwatch Response Team