Can TV shows influence how we view immigration in the US? A new study takes a look

Immigration remains a hot-button issue/ in the United States andmany television shows feature storylines that illustrate the experiences of immigrants in America — whether accurate or not.

How immigrants are depicted on TV shows — and how Americans’ perceptions and attitudes toward immigration are influenced — is the subject of a new report from Define American in conjunction with the University of Southern California’s Norman Lear Center.

How immigrants are portrayed on TV

The organization’s content analysis examined 129 immigrant characters in 59 television shows airing between 2018 and 2019, the “Change the Narrative, Change the World” report says. The study also surveyed 940 adults in the U.S. who at least occasionally watched “Madam Secretary,” “Orange is the New Black” or “Superstore” — shows that feature “prominent immigration storylines,” according to the report.

The content analysis revealed most immigrant characters were men (57%), “judged to be Latinx,” and non-English speakers or bilingual (56%), the report says.

Some of the trends were not consistent with reality, according to the report. Immigrants over the age of 65 were underrepresented, as were Asian/Pacific Islander immigrants.

Middle Eastern immigrants were over-represented.

Another inconsistent trend with “real-world numbers” was the amount of characters who were “associated with a crime,” (22%). The report notes that this was “a major drop from the 34% of TV immigrant characters associated with a crime in 2018.”

The number of undocumented or asylum-seeking immigrants portrayed in the shows was greatly over exaggerated (63%), according to the report.

How often an immigrant character appeared in a show’s episodes influenced the character‘s portrayals. Characters in episodes with immigrant storylines were more likely to be Latinx (61%) or Middle Eastern (14%), come from Latin American countries (59%), be undocumented (62%), be currently incarcerated (20%) or “be held in a detention facility (34%) or involved in the immigration court system (8%).”

Characters who regularly appeared in a show’s episodes “were more likely to be white (31%) or Asian/Pacific Islanders (18%), come from Europe (21%) or be naturalized citizens/permanent residents (45%).”

Audience perceptions

The three shows used in Define American’s survey had “prominent immigration storylines.” Overall, the survey participants who were exposed to at least one of the shows “had more inclusive attitudes toward immigrants,” the study says.

The more a viewer watched, the more they took “immigration-related actions” — which is not defined in the study.

Viewers who identified as conservative or religious “were more likely to experience reactance — the feeling that the storyline was trying to manipulate them or take away their freedom,” the report said.

“These feelings were associated with less inclusive immigration attitudes, knowledge about immigration, and immigration behaviors,” the survey found. “These findings suggest that immigration-related entertainment content may have limited impact on religious viewers. However, such content has the potential to decrease prejudice and support for criminalization policies among rural viewers.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Can TV shows influence how we view immigration in the US? A new study takes a look."