The COVID-19 vaccine on Facebook: A study of emotions expressed by the Brazilian public

The objective was to identify and reflect on the emotions evoked in the Brazilian public with respect to the COVID-19 vaccine during 2020 and 2021 on Facebook. The study used the CrowdTangle graphical interface to extract posts made by public Facebook profiles, from which a random sample of 1,067 posts was selected for analysis. Identification of emotions was performed using the HUMAINE descriptors as a baseline reference. Emotions were frequently directed towards aspects only tangentially related to the vaccine or vaccination, such as relevant decisions taken (or not taken) by public officials.