Turn on, tune in, turn out: Ethnic radio and immigrants' political engagement

Abstract

AbstractDoes the ethnic media promote the political engagement of minority ethnic immigrants? This is a salient question in Western democracies, where the political incorporation of immigrants is a continuous challenge. Prevailing accounts place the media as a primary cause of growing public disengagement. In contrast, this article argues that the entry of community‐centered ethnic media can increase immigrants' political engagement by changing their informational environment and their representation in media and state institutions. In 2004, the UK Parliament enacted the Community Radio Order to allow the licensing of community radio stations. Leveraging the introduction of this law and geographical variation in the distribution of licenses with a difference‐in‐differences approach, this article shows that the exposure of minority ethnic immigrants to radio programming targeted at their community substantively increases their turnout in local elections. The results suggest that immigrants' participation in politics is stimulated by accommodating diversity within common institutions.