IPS has started on a multi-study project to investigate the role of new media on the coming election. This project is led by IPS and brings together a dozen researchers from several other institutions including National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University. The aim is to scrutinise the impacts of what is done online and offline by the different players (parties and candidates, bloggers, mainstream media, opinion makers; ordinary voters; youths); the consequences to the voter (their political knowledge, their perception of what issues are important, the manner in which they reconcile conflicting information, the perception of candidates and parties; and their voting behaviour); and the role of technology (social media, mobile telephony). The individual studies include:

• Media Myths and Realities: Findings of National Survey of Media Use in the General Election
• GE2011: Legal Fine-Tuning and Calibrated Changes
• Stances and Strategies of Alternative Online Media
• Online and On track? (Part 1): Party and Candidate Websites During General Election 2011
• Online and On track? (Part 2): Political Parties and Blogs During General Election 2011
• Mixed Media Agenda Setting in Singapore General Election
• Impact of New Media and Political Socialisation on Singapore’s Young Adults
• Mobile Phones, Social Network Sites and Political participation During Elections
• Twittering Election: A Comparative Content Analysis of Political Tweets
• Knowledge Gap Among Media Users During General Election 2011
• Media Use and Conflicting Information During GE2011
• Political Talk During Election Time 
  

The results of the studies have been presented at a one-day symposium aimed at policy makers, community leaders and academics and then published in a book for general readers. For the findings of the study, please see here. Researchers will also write academic journal papers from their studies. A web archive of the election will be created.

The Project Secretariat will be housed in the Institute of Policy Studies. The three lead researchers are:

1. Tan Tarn How, Senior Research Fellow, IPS
2. Arun Mahizhnan, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, IPS
3. Ang Peng Hwa, Professor and Director of the Singapore Internet Research Centre of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University 

Researchers

1. Cherian George, Associate Professor, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI), Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
2. Hong Ya-Huei, Associate Professor, The Graduate School of Mass Communication, Fu Jen Catholic University
3. Randolph Kluver, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Texas A&M University 
4. Paul Wu Horng-Jyh, Senior Fellow, WKWSCI, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) 
5. Tey Tsun Hang, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore (NUS) 
6. Debbie Goh, Assistant Professor, WKWSCI, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) 
7. Trisha Lin Tsui-Chuan, Assistant Professor, WKWSCI, Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
8. Natalie Pang, Assistant Professor, WKWSCI, Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
9. Marko Skoric, Assistant Professor, WKWSCI, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) 
10. Xu Xiaoge, Assistant Professor, WKWSCI, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) 
11. Zhang Weiyu, Assistant Professor, Communication and New Media Programme (CNM), National University of Singapore (NUS)
12. Carol Soon, Instructor, Communication and New Media Programme (CNM), National University of Singapore (NUS)

Please contact Tan Tarn How at +65 6516-8368 or via email: or Cheong Kah Shint  +65 6516-8374 or via email: .