The Australian Election Studies (AES) have been running as a series of surveys beginning in 1987 that have been timed to coincide with Australian Federal elections. The series also builds on the Australian National Political Attitudes Surveys run in 1967, 1969 and 1979. The Australian Election Study survey is funded by the Australian Research Council and has been directed by Professor Ian McAllister, Dr Juliet Pietsch (both from the Australian National University), Professor Clive Bean (Queensland University of Technology) and Professor Rachel Gibson (University of Manchester).
The AES aim to provide a long-term perspective on stability and change in the political attitudes and behaviour of the Australian electorate, and investigate the changing social bases of Australian politics as the economy and society modernise and change character. In addition to these long-term goals they examine the political issues prevalent in the election and assess their importance for the election result.