Education and Language-Based Knowledge Gaps Among New Immigrants In the United States: Effects of English- and Native-Language Newspapers and TV

Abstract

This study analyzed the impact of pre- and postimmigration use of English- and native-language newspapers and TV on the relative size of education- and language-based political knowledge gaps among new U.S. immigrants. Results from a nationally representative survey of new immigrants in the United States (N = 3,319) suggested that pre-immigration use of English-language newspapers widens political knowledge gaps between immigrant groups with higher and lower English proficiency and groups with higher and lower preference to use English in social interactions. However, the gap in political knowledge between immigrant groups with higher and lower levels of education was leveled by post-immigration use of English-language TV. Interestingly, use of native-language media also had a leveling effect on the knowledge gap. Specifically, pre-immigration use of native-language newspapers and TV decreased the gap in political knowledge between groups with high and low education, and pre-immigration use of native-language TV decreased the knowledge gap between groups with high and low preference to use English. Implications are discussed.