The meeting ground of media use, acculturation, social capital and political socialization of ethnic groups: With an emphasis on Chinese cultural groups

This cross-sectional survey study of international students and scholars with at least some Chinese cultural background on a mid-western university campuses aims to examine how their acculturation attitudes toward ethnic identification and assimilation influences their bonding social capital and bridging social capital, their use of ethnic media and English media, their personal network with Chinese and with Americans and other international groups, and their political socialization. With the US higher education continues to accept well-educated populations from the world, this study is significant in helping to understand how these newcomers adapt and merge in the new environment. The findings show that people's attitudes toward ethnic identification and assimilation are strong indicators of their choice of English versus ethnic media (both news and entertainment contents) and their choice of personal interactions with ethnic populations versus Americans. The research also finds that length of stay in the country and political discussions are the two major factors determining their political socialization. The research contributes to the literature on the process of immigrant acculturation and its relationship with social capital. It also contributes to the literature on building social capital among different groups and building a healthy democratic society in a multicultural context.