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More than 70 percent of people believe that new media can be more powerful tools for democratic supervision than traditional media, according to a new survey. The Media and Public Opinion Research Center, of Fudan University in Shanghai, asked people how they kept up with events at the annual National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which ended on Wednesday. The center conducted random telephone interviews with 313 residents of Shanghai's 17 districts and counties, all with varied educational levels. This is the sixth year the center has conducted the survey. Ninety-three percent of respondents said they knew about the two sessions and more than one-half said they listened to and watched Premier Wen Jiabao's news conference on the last day. "Though the television was still the medium of choice for residents to stay in touch with goings-on during the two sessions, new media are playing an increasingly important role," Li Shuanglong, a researcher from the center, told China Daily. According to the report, 63 percent kept informed during the two sessions via the television. Next was the Internet, which was chosen by 19.6 percent of residents. About 10.5 percent relied on newspapers. More than 30 percent of the Internet users said they followed the two sessions through micro blogs. The survey noted that the effect of Internet media on the country's political life should be given much attention as about 71 percent of residents agreed that "Internet media can play a more critical role than traditional media in democratic supervision." | 
