Polarization and Sentiment Shifts in Reddit Discussion on the US Foreign Aid Freeze

By triangulating sentiment trends, topic models, and ideological variance, this study shows how digital publics respond to significant shifts in US foreign policy. We analyze Reddit discussions of the 20 January 2025 90-day freeze on US foreign assistance, with a focus on USAID, across partisan (r/Democrats and r/Republican) and neutral (r/fednews) subreddits. Using Structural Topic Modeling and sentiment analysis on posts and comments collected via ArcticShift, we find clear polarization in framing and tone. Overall sentiment was predominantly negative, but sources of negativity diverged: Republican forums emphasized fiscal responsibility, government waste, and national sovereignty; Democratic forums emphasized humanitarian harm and institutional erosion; r/fednews foregrounded institutional, legal, and administrative concerns. Topic-prevalence estimates reveal that themes such as executive overreach and aid justification were prominent but framed differently by the community. The findings highlight Reddit’s role as an arena for contesting and reframing policy debates.