Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Perspective

Few studies have explored how emotional expressions regarding various aspects affect review helpfulness despite having emotionally charged online reviews of various topics or aspects. The ultimate purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different emotional expression...

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Main Authors: Dasom Jeong, Dongeon Kim, Jinzhe Yan, Jiaen Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-05-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251337195
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author Dasom Jeong
Dongeon Kim
Jinzhe Yan
Jiaen Li
author_facet Dasom Jeong
Dongeon Kim
Jinzhe Yan
Jiaen Li
author_sort Dasom Jeong
collection DOAJ
description Few studies have explored how emotional expressions regarding various aspects affect review helpfulness despite having emotionally charged online reviews of various topics or aspects. The ultimate purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different emotional expressions in online reviews influence their perceived helpfulness, specifically focusing on the moderating effect of restaurant type. To achieve this, we developed and empirically verified a research model using 85,117 online reviews collected from Yelp.com based on cue utilization theory. Specifically, it investigates the moderating effect of restaurant type on the relationship between emotional expression and review helpfulness in five aspects of online restaurant reviews (location, food, price, service, and ambiance). A BERT-based ABSA was performed to measure the emotional expression of each aspect of online restaurant reviews accurately, and a negative binomial regression model was used for the regression analysis. Emotional expressions regarding food and ambiance affected review helpfulness negatively. By contrast, services, prices, and locations affected review helpfulness positively. Negative reviews of food and ambiance were more helpful in luxury restaurants than in casual dining restaurants. In addition, a positive price evaluation had a more significant effect on review helpfulness for luxury restaurants than for casual-dining restaurants. Positive evaluations of service and location aspects significantly influence review helpfulness more in luxury restaurants than in casual-dining restaurants. Therefore, this study’s results can help restaurant practitioners to identify useful restaurant attributes and reduce information overload when potential consumers search for information.
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spelling doaj-art-e33aa1aac131486d94033e97e00b05b72025-08-20T03:49:36ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402025-05-011510.1177/21582440251337195Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis PerspectiveDasom Jeong0Dongeon Kim1Jinzhe Yan2Jiaen Li3Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaKyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of KoreaGachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of KoreaKwangwoon University, Nowon-gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaFew studies have explored how emotional expressions regarding various aspects affect review helpfulness despite having emotionally charged online reviews of various topics or aspects. The ultimate purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different emotional expressions in online reviews influence their perceived helpfulness, specifically focusing on the moderating effect of restaurant type. To achieve this, we developed and empirically verified a research model using 85,117 online reviews collected from Yelp.com based on cue utilization theory. Specifically, it investigates the moderating effect of restaurant type on the relationship between emotional expression and review helpfulness in five aspects of online restaurant reviews (location, food, price, service, and ambiance). A BERT-based ABSA was performed to measure the emotional expression of each aspect of online restaurant reviews accurately, and a negative binomial regression model was used for the regression analysis. Emotional expressions regarding food and ambiance affected review helpfulness negatively. By contrast, services, prices, and locations affected review helpfulness positively. Negative reviews of food and ambiance were more helpful in luxury restaurants than in casual dining restaurants. In addition, a positive price evaluation had a more significant effect on review helpfulness for luxury restaurants than for casual-dining restaurants. Positive evaluations of service and location aspects significantly influence review helpfulness more in luxury restaurants than in casual-dining restaurants. Therefore, this study’s results can help restaurant practitioners to identify useful restaurant attributes and reduce information overload when potential consumers search for information.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251337195
spellingShingle Dasom Jeong
Dongeon Kim
Jinzhe Yan
Jiaen Li
Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Perspective
SAGE Open
title Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Perspective
title_full Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Perspective
title_fullStr Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Perspective
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Perspective
title_short Effect of Aspect-Level Emotion Expression of Online Restaurant Reviews on Perceived Helpfulness: An Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis Perspective
title_sort effect of aspect level emotion expression of online restaurant reviews on perceived helpfulness an aspect based sentiment analysis perspective
url https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251337195
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AT jinzheyan effectofaspectlevelemotionexpressionofonlinerestaurantreviewsonperceivedhelpfulnessanaspectbasedsentimentanalysisperspective
AT jiaenli effectofaspectlevelemotionexpressionofonlinerestaurantreviewsonperceivedhelpfulnessanaspectbasedsentimentanalysisperspective