This issue of AJPOR has three articles that represent three different types of public opinion research. One article demonstrates the importance of newspapers for public opinion. Another article analyses digital government and how public opinion intersects with government agencies information dissemination. The third article explores how local public opinion attitudes are affected by local conditions. The articles are from three Asian countries. I hope you find time to read them.
However, my Note for this issue is about the next issue of AJPOR and its continuing development as a force for public opinion research in Asia. We have already accepted three articles for the next issue that cover fake news in three Asian countries. We did not plan an issue on the topic. The issue came together organically. If you or a colleague are working on a paper on fake news, please consider submitting to AJPOR soon, and we may be able to include it in the next issue.
Of course, fake news is an important public opinion topic and we are happy that researchers are investigating its impact on public opinion. But, for AJPOR, it has a special meaning because it examines the topic in three different ways across three countries. This issue demonstrates the role that AJPOR can play in understanding public opinion on an important topic across Asia.
We are also planning a Special Issue on Research Methods later this year. We have received several abstracts and a complete paper for the issue. But, we would like to publish as many relevant articles as possible with this issue. The subtitle of the special issue is “Opportunities and Challenges.” Many AJPOR readers would be interested in the “challenges” because many challenges remain for many researchers. If you have a relevant paper, please submit it. We will publish all articles accepted in the special issue, so your article could be published this year. When I was the editor of Survey Practice, I found that issues on special topics were read more than other issues.
Now, for a little self-publicity, but it’s related to this topic. For this issue, I wrote a review of Advances in Comparative Survey Methods: Multinational, Multiregional, and Multicultural Contexts (3MC). While it focuses on survey methods (I’m a survey researcher), the book contains much information related to multinational research in general. Many challenges exist but also many opportunities for improvements in methods that will make public opinion research stronger. AJPOR has an important role in this development.
Biographical Note
John Kennedy directed the Indiana University Center for Survey Research for 24 years. He also directed the University of Hartford Institute of Social Research for two years and was employed at the US Census Bureau for four years. He earned a PhD in sociology from the Pennsylvania State University. He has been involved in the development of a number of professional journals and was the founding editor of Survey Practice, an e-journal published by the American Association for Public Opinion Research. He has also been actively involved in professional research ethics including chairing Indiana University Social Behavioral IRB for 12 years and he served on two committees that revised the American Sociological Associations Code of Ethics. He teaches a graduate course in Survey Design.
He can be reached at Smith Research Center 123, 2805 E 10th St, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA or by e-mail at kennedyj@indiana.edu.