Ethnicity and ethnic media use -: A panel study

Ethnicity continues to be apolitical and social force on the national and international scenes. After a discussion of the literature on ethnicity and communication, this article tracks a panel representing 13 different White ethnic groups in a metropolitan area. Data were collected every 4 years, beginning in 1976 and continuing through 1992. In 1976, 13 ethnic groups were surveyed, and 21 groups were tracked in subsequent surveys. Although each wave collected data unique to that period, all surveys included items tapping ethnic identification, ethnic behaviors, ethnic media use, and mainstream media use. Using a variety of analytic techniques, the author finds evidence that ethnic media use leads to stronger ethnic identification across time, suggesting that ethnic media can help sustain ethnic identification in a multicultural context.