Stereotypes of African Americans and Media Use Among Chinese High School Students

Abstract

Little research has examined stereotypes of American racial minorities held by people living abroad. This study attempts to fill this gap by surveying Chinese high schools students to find out their stereotypes of African Americans, their sources of information about Americans in general, and whether stereotypes were related to media use. The results were mixed: Use of Chinese media sourcesled to positive stereotypes of African Americans, and use of American media sources led to negative stereotypes. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

KEYTERMS:

• African Americans
• China
• media use
• stereotyping

All authors contributed equally to this article.