Table 3.

Description of variables that influence Sina Weibo users’ emotions.

Variable		Variable symbol	Description and coding
Explained variable
	Emotional polarity	P_Emo	Sina Weibo users’ emotional polarity
Control variable
	Sex	Sex	The sex of Sina Weibo users. The coding is as follows: 0=female and 1=male (reference group)
Explanatory variables
	Age	Age	The age of Sina Weibo users (range 16-65 years)
	Spatial location	Space1, Space2	The spatial locations of Sina Weibo users. We used “other provinces” as the reference group. The dummy variables are as follows: Space0= {other provinces, when Space1=0 and Space2=0} (reference group) Space1= {1=Hubei Province; 0=others} Space2={1=emigrant provinces; 0=others}
	Number of fans	Ln(N_Fan)	The number of fans of Sina Weibo users; smoothed logarithmically
	Number of follows	Ln(N_Follow)	The number of other users that Sina Weibo users follow; smoothed logarithmically
	Number of post	Ln(N_Post)	The number of posts shared by Sina Weibo users; smoothed logarithmically
	Registration year	Time_Reg	The registration year of Sina Weibo users’ accounts
Moderator variable
	Social distancing measures	T_SDM	The types of social distancing measures. The coding is listed as follows: SDM1=delaying the resumption of work and school SDM2=travel restrictions SDM3= traffic restrictions SDM4=closing public spaces SDM5=community containment SDM6=extending the Lunar New Year holiday (reference group)