My research is inspired by a central question: how can we understand the formation and impact of public attitude and opinion, particularly in those societies with rapid socioeconomic changes and technological advancements (e.g., the Internet and social media)?  My research, accordingly, unfolds in two different yet closely related lines. The first line of research extends my dissertation works and focuses on how various personal and contextual characteristics affect the formation of public opinion. The second then focuses on the potential impacts of new media (e.g., the Internet) on public opinion.