Immigrants and political involvement in Canada: the role of the ethnic media

Immigrants and political involvement in Canada: the role of the ethnic media

There are two major perspectives on ethnic group institutions, each of which is responsible for producing a different set of expectations about the role of ethnic media in immigrant political involvement. According to an integrative perspective, which envisions those institutions introducing host society norms to the newcomer, it is expected that the ethnic media will facilitate the learning of norms of Canadian political discourse. An alternative approach, which anticipates negative as opposed to positive correlations between ethnic media and political involvement, is premised on the view that ethnic institutions envelop the immigrant in a web of group-centered information, and restricts messages received from, and about, the new society. According to this nonintegrative viewpoint, consumption of the ethnic media would result in less information about Canadian politics and fewer incentives to become involved. These two perspectives are examined in the context of a 1983 Toronto-area survey of immigrants who belong to a number of different ethnic categories, using several ethnic media and political involvement measures. Results are inconclusive, though there is some support for the idea that ethnic media help integrate immigrants into Canadian politics.

Black, Jerome H.; Leithner, Christian

Print media

Radio

TV

Canada

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