Perceived Social Status and Ethnic Stratification—Evidence from Journalists in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

ABSTRACT

Based on a survey of and in-depth interviews with journalists working in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a politically sensitive area with a strong Muslim presence, this study examines how socioeconomic attainments and subjective norms shape journalists’ self-perceived status. Linking the study of journalists with social stratification theories, the data reveals that (1) The proportion of journalists who regard themselves as upper-middle and upper class is much higher than the proportion of the general public in this region and journalists in other regions in China. (2) Professional norms and the sense of achievement have more significant influence than income and education in shaping journalists’ perceived social status. (3) The ethnic variation of self-perceived social status is manifested through different reference-grouping processes. As the first study on perceived social status of journalists in this region, these findings contribute to the general understanding of journalists, the government policies and the political and social landscape in this area.

KEYWORDS:

• Perceived social status
• ethnic stratification
• journalists
• professional norms
• Xinjiang
• China

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mei Yang, Chun Yang, Pei Zhi, Xiaomeng Geng, Weiqi Guo, Xingchen Dong, and Emma Moor for their assistance.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work described in this paper was supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CityU 11608717).