2025 ANPOR-APCA Annual Conference

Conference Dates: November 5-7, 2025

Location: Amari Hotel, Pattaya, Thailand

Hosted by:

• Asian Network for Public Opinion Research (ANPOR)
• Asia-Pacific Communication Alliance (APCA)
• Southeast Bangkok University (SBU)

 

Conference Overview

For over a decade, the ANPOR-APCA Annual Conference has been the premier gathering place where Asia-Pacific’s brightest minds tackle the most pressing questions of our time. Since 2012, we’ve built a vibrant community of researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders who refuse to accept the status quo-pushing boundaries in public opinion research and communication scholarship that shapes how societies understand themselves.

Our journey mirrors the region’s transformation. As the Asia-Pacific has emerged as a global powerhouse amid unprecedented technological, political, and cultural upheaval, our conference has evolved to meet each critical moment:

• 2012-2015: Pioneering interdisciplinary approaches that broke down silos between communication, sociology, and digital studies
• 2016-2019: Confronting the crisis of public trust and rising polarization that threatened democratic foundations
• 2020-2021: Leading the conversation on pandemic communication, health narratives, and institutional resilience when the world needed clarity most
• 2023: Charting new paths for digital transformation and participatory governance in an increasingly connected world

Now, we stand at another inflection point. The rise of AI and algorithmic systems isn’t just changing how we communicate-it’s fundamentally reshaping what it means to be a citizen in the digital age. Questions that seemed like science fiction just years ago are now urgent realities: How do algorithms shape what we believe? Can AI be trusted with our democratic processes? Who gets heard in digital spaces, and who gets silenced?

This is why 2025 matters. As youth voices rise, as marginalized communities reclaim digital power, and as the ethics of AI become central to our future, we’re not just observing change-we’re actively shaping it.

 

Why This Theme, and Why Now?

We’re living through the most significant shift in human communication since the printing press. AI algorithms now decide what billions of people see, think about, and believe. Platform governance shapes civic discourse more than traditional media ever did. Digital citizenship isn’t just a nice-to-have skill-it’s becoming essential for survival in democratic societies.

“Voices and Visions in Transition” captures this pivotal moment where the future of public opinion hangs in the balance. Across the Asia-Pacific-from Tokyo’s tech labs to Jakarta’s grassroots movements, from Seoul’s digital innovations to Manila’s social activism-we’re witnessing an unprecedented convergence of technological possibility and social transformation.

But here’s what makes this moment both thrilling and terrifying: the decisions we make today about AI ethics, platform accountability, and digital rights will echo for generations. The Asia-Pacific region, with its diverse democracies, emerging economies, and tech leadership, has the opportunity-and responsibility-to lead the world toward more ethical, inclusive digital futures.

The 2025 ANPOR-APCA Conference isn’t just another academic gathering. It’s a strategic convening where researchers, educators, policymakers, civil society leaders, and technology developers come together to wrestle with the questions that will define our digital future. This is where theory meets practice, where local insights inform global solutions, and where the next generation of digital citizens begins to take shape.

 

The Questions That Keep Us Awake at Night

• How do algorithms and AI reshape public opinion and trust? When machines curate reality, who controls the narrative?
• How can we educate and empower digital citizens in the age of AI? What does civic education look like when the rules of engagement change daily?
• How are marginalized voices reclaiming power in digital spaces? Can technology finally democratize who gets heard-or will it amplify existing inequalities?
• How can public opinion research become more ethical, inclusive, and regionally grounded? Are we studying people or studying with them?

 

What We’re Building Together: 2025 Conference Objectives

This isn’t just about understanding change—it’s about directing it. Our 2025 conference is designed as a collaborative laboratory where we’ll:

• Reimagine Public Opinion for the AI Era
  Move beyond outdated frameworks that treat public opinion as something to measure rather than something to nurture. We’ll explore how AI-driven communication can become a tool for education, critical literacy, and genuine democratic engagement—not just manipulation and control.
• Bridge the Human-Machine Divide
  Address the growing tensions between human values and algorithmic logic. Through cutting-edge pedagogies, forward-thinking policies, and innovative platforms, we’ll chart pathways for ethical AI that amplifies human wisdom rather than replacing it.
• Amplify Voices That Matter Most
  Center the perspectives of youth, indigenous communities, and cultural innovators who are already reimagining digital spaces. We’ll champion regionally grounded approaches that honor diverse cultural contexts while building global solidarity.
• Pioneer Sustainable Digital Futures
  Design new paradigms for research and civic participation that are not just inclusive and equitable, but resilient enough to adapt as technology evolves. We’ll focus on empowering educators, creators, and institutions as the architects of healthy digital citizenship.

By the end of our three days together, you won’t just understand the challenges—you’ll leave with concrete strategies, powerful partnerships, and a renewed sense of purpose for shaping the digital future of the Asia-Pacific.

 

Conference Tracks & Suggested Topics

We welcome submissions from a wide range of disciplines and methodological traditions. Possible areas include, but are not limited to:

AI, Public Opinion & Algorithmic Influence

• Influence of AI-generated content on political discourse and public perception
• Recommender systems and public belief formation
• Algorithmic governance and media ethics
• Ethical implications of algorithmic governance in media and communication

Disinformation and Media Literacy

• Polarization and misinformation ecosystems
• Platform accountability and fact-checking innovations
• Media trust, digital fatigue, and strategies for building resilience

Youth and Digital Citizenship

• Youth-led activism and civic innovation
• Surveillance, identity, and online freedom
• Cultural expression through TikTok, memes, and participatory media
• Education for digital agency and resilience

Climate, Health, and Risk Communication

• Public engagement with climate and disaster narratives
• Legacies of pandemic communication
• Science denialism and strategies for restoring credibility and public trust

Decolonizing Public Opinion and Communication Research

• Indigenous and community-based knowledge systems
• Southern perspectives and methodological innovations
• Language, framing, and cultural epistemologies in public opinion and communication studies

Ethics, Policy, and Digital Governance

• AI regulation in the communication landscape
• Public opinion’s role in shaping policy
• Digital rights, data justice, and inclusion in Asia-Pacific

Fostering Intercultural Competence: Pedagogical and Critical Approaches

• Theoretical and applied frameworks for cultivating intercultural competence
• Reflexive, experience-driven, and dialogic pedagogies in intercultural settings
• Assessment of intercultural learning and transformative outcomes
• Practices advancing cultural humility, empathy, and ethical engagement across difference

 

Important Dates

• Abstract Submission Deadline: October 1, 2025
• Notification of Acceptance: Rolling Basis until October 15, 2025
• Full Paper Submission Deadline: October 20, 2025
• Kick-Start Registration Deadline: July 31, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Deadline: August 31, 2025
• Last Day of Registration Deadline: October 15, 2025
• Pre-Conference Workshop: November 4, 2025
• Welcome Reception: November 5, 2025
• Conference Presentations & Discussions: November 6-7, 2025
• Conference Closing Ceremony and Dinner: November 7, 2025