Rethinking Public Opinion Studies in the Digital Era: Expert Discourse on the Theoretical and Methodological Challenges of Public Opinion Research

Abstract The goal of our study was twofold. First, we aimed to recognize how concepts, factors, and artificial intelligence-driven challenges in research on public opinion vary across experts with different experiences in the field. Second, we examined how experts envision the future of the field in the evolving media landscape. We invited public opinion scholars from more than 30 countries to participate in the survey. Findings showed that public opinion scholars, regardless of their experience level and area of study, perceived opinion formation and respondent bias as 2 significant challenges to their studies. The thematic analysis highlighted a dual challenge for scholars and experts: addressing technical methodological hurdles while rethinking theoretical frameworks for public opinion research in the digital era.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Public Opinion Research
Published
2025-12-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edag001
Primary Topic
Computational and Text Analysis Methods
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Rethinking Public Opinion Studies in the Digital Era: Expert Discourse on the Theoretical and Methodological Challenges of Public Opinion Research

Anita Ciunova-Shuleska, Selma Veseljević Jerković, Nikolina Palamidovska-Sterjadovska, Anela Mulahmetović Ibrišimović et al.
International Journal of Public Opinion Research
Computational and Text Analysis Methods
article

Rethinking Public Opinion Studies in the Digital Era: Expert Discourse on the Theoretical and Methodological Challenges of Public Opinion Research

Anita Ciunova-Shuleska, Selma Veseljević Jerković, Nikolina Palamidovska-Sterjadovska, Anela Mulahmetović Ibrišimović, Dimitra L. Milioni, Edlira Gugu, Anna Bączkowska, Agnieszka Hess, Dren Gërguri, Elena Negrea-Busuioc, Agnieszka Stępińska, Aleksandra Krstić, Ardita Reçi
article en

Abstract

Abstract The goal of our study was twofold. First, we aimed to recognize how concepts, factors, and artificial intelligence-driven challenges in research on public opinion vary across experts with different experiences in the field. Second, we examined how experts envision the future of the field in the evolving media landscape. We invited public opinion scholars from more than 30 countries to participate in the survey. Findings showed that public opinion scholars, regardless of their experience level and area of study, perceived opinion formation and respondent bias as 2 significant challenges to their studies. The thematic analysis highlighted a dual challenge for scholars and experts: addressing technical methodological hurdles while rethinking theoretical frameworks for public opinion research in the digital era.

International Journal of Public Opinion ResearchVol. 38(1)
Jagiellonian University (PL), National School of Political Science and Public Administration (RO), University of Tuzla (BA), Cyprus University of Technology (CY), Aleksandër Moisiu University (AL), University of Elbasan (AL), University of Gdańsk (PL), University of Belgrade (RS), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL), Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (MK), University of Prishtina (XK)
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Computational and Text Analysis Methods
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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