Objective:

To investigate how disruptions in federal public health funding and the federal workforce have influenced public sentiment among federal employees using Reddit data.

Approach:

• Data Collection: Analyzed 197,874 Reddit posts and comments from the FedNews subreddit between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025, focusing on public health-related discussions.
• Sentiment Analysis: Employed sentiment analysis to measure expressions of fear and anger in the submissions, using the Natural Language Toolkit and Word-Emotion Association Lexicon.

Key Findings:

• 44,216 public health-related submissions were identified, with a significant increase in volume from 519 in 2020 to 20,907 in 2025.
• Average fear score for health-related submissions increased from 0.031 in 2024 to 0.041 in 2025, a 32% increase.
• Average anger score rose from 0.016 in 2024 to 0.026 in 2025, a 63% increase, surpassing levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interpretation:

The findings indicate a growing sense of fear and anger among federal workers regarding public health issues, reflecting concerns over layoffs and policy changes.

Limitations:

• The FedNews forum represents a self-selected sample of Reddit users and may not be representative of the broader federal workforce.

Conclusion:

The study highlights a significant rise in negative sentiment among federal employees related to public health, coinciding with federal budget reductions and workforce changes.

Sources:

• Galea S. The potential consequences of disinvestment in health in the US.
• Jones C. Government shutdown effects on public health.
• Chen J, Wang Y. Social media use for health purposes.
• Valdez D et al. Social media insights into US mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Hu T et al. Revealing public opinion towards COVID-19 vaccines.
• Obis A. Mental health toll of government downsizing.
• Riddle K. Mental health issues ripple through the federal workforce.