PA and Twitter track live online debate on the EU Referendum

31 May 2016: A free tool allowing journalists, web editors and the general public to track voters’ opinions during the EU referendum campaign is available now.

The #EURef Data Hub is a collaboration between PA (the Press Association), the UK’s leading multimedia news agency, and the social media network, Twitter.

Built by social analytics company Blurrt, the #EURef Data Hub measures and displays the levels of Twitter conversation throughout the campaign, breaking down chatter about the Leave and Remain camps, and reactions to the key figures on the campaign trail.

Insight from PA’s editorial team puts the real-time data from Twitter into context, to shape the way the information is presented to users of the dashboard.

Graphs and other visual representations on the dashboard will track key questions, including:

  • Leave v Remain: Which campaign is most talked about?
  • Who are the most talked-about campaigners?
  • Which topics are driving the most conversation and how do people feel about them?

Steve Jones, Social Media Editor at the Press Association, said:

“The online debate around the EU referendum campaign is an incredibly important component of the media’s coverage, and this dashboard will be a really useful tool for journalists and the public to keep abreast of what’s being talked about, and how that discussion has changed over time.”

Rob Owers, Partnerships Manager for News and Government at Twitter said:

“The EU Referendum is one of the most hotly debated campaigns of recent times, with both sides putting out a huge range of facts and opinions. At Twitter we’re uniquely placed to see the live reaction and analysis as our users comment on and question these big announcements in real time, drawing their own conclusions after following the open, public debate happening on their timelines. Working with PA on this project we’re able to add even more context to the shifts and peaks in conversation, reflecting which topics and personalities are having the greatest impact.”

The #EURef Data Hub can be found at referendum.pressassociation.com and is openly available until Britain decides whether or not its future lies in the European Union. Journalists wishing to use the data for stories can do so by either embedding the dashboard on their sites, or reproducing relevant data with the credit “Twitter/PA”.