Asian American and Black immigrant representation has doubled since 2020, but when the starting point is nearly zero, they are still severely underrepresented on US television, according to a new study released last week.
This fall, US television had a record number of programs and offerings that had Asian American leads and themes, but were they reflective of the AANHPI communities?
Define American released groundbreaking new research last week with the USC Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project analyzing how often and how well immigrant characters are represented in scripted television and streaming networks. The report, Change the Narrative, Change the World 2022: The Power of Immigrant Representation on Television, shows improvements, but some depictions of immigrant stories on television continue to be at odds with reality.
Define American released groundbreaking new research last week with the USC Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project analyzing how often and how well immigrant characters are represented in scripted television and streaming networks. The report, Change the Narrative, Change the World 2022: The Power of Immigrant Representation on Television, shows improvements, but some depictions of immigrant stories on television continue to be at odds with reality.
"When you look at the outsized impact of television – where audiences are forming their first impressions about whole groups of people – it becomes absolutely imperative to show these viewers more than one hyper-criminalized, stereotypical story," said Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Founder of Define American.
The depiction of most immigrants on US television presented a picture that immigrants are associated with criminal activity, found the report.
"While there is much to celebrate in recent shifts on television, there is also more work to be done in Hollywood to fully capture the details and nuance of immigrant communities at large," stated the report.
Combining a content analysis of all immigrant characters across two seasons of television with an audience survey, the research highlights the power of nuanced portrayals to shift audiences' attitudes, beliefs, and actions toward immigrant communities in real life.
Among the shows analyzed were: Netflix's Never Have I Ever (winner of the 2022 People's Choice Award for Best Comedy), The CW's Roswell, New Mexico, FOX's The Cleaning Lady and CBS's Bob Hearts Abishola.
Key findings show that while representation of Black and Asian American immigrants has doubled since 2020, representation of Latine immigrant characters has plummeted, dropping from 50% in 2020 to 34% in 2022. Pacific Islander representation is also lacking.
The research highlights the power of nuanced immigrant characters to create meaningful connections with captive audiences.
Key findings show that while representation of Black and Asian American immigrants has doubled since 2020, representation of Latine immigrant characters has plummeted, dropping from 50% in 2020 to 34% in 2022. Pacific Islander representation is also lacking.
The research highlights the power of nuanced immigrant characters to create meaningful connections with captive audiences.
Viewers of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever – about a teenage girl navigating high school and love triangles and living with her immigrant mother, grandmother and cousin – also felt a parasocial connection to the mother character, Nalini, which led to an increased likelihood to support increased U.S. immigration, even when they had limited real-life experiences with immigrants, according to the report.
"Define American's research is showing how characters like Nalini - who I play in Never Have I Ever - can actually help people to be more understanding toward immigrant experiences," said actor Poorna Jagannathan, who portrays Nalini.
"Define American's research is showing how characters like Nalini - who I play in Never Have I Ever - can actually help people to be more understanding toward immigrant experiences," said actor Poorna Jagannathan, who portrays Nalini.
"Audiences are creating relationships with these characters that are then informing how they're interacting with immigrants in real life. There is more empathy, understanding and nuance to these interactions, and that is such a powerful thing."
While there has been some positive improvement in representation, immigrant characters on television are also more likely to be associated with crime than at any point since this research began.
"More representation of immigrants is not necessarily better," said Erica Rosenthal, Director of Research at the Norman Lear Center. "If characters convey inaccurate stereotypes, for example, about immigrants and crime, this may contribute to real-life prejudice."
While there has been some positive improvement in representation, immigrant characters on television are also more likely to be associated with crime than at any point since this research began.
"More representation of immigrants is not necessarily better," said Erica Rosenthal, Director of Research at the Norman Lear Center. "If characters convey inaccurate stereotypes, for example, about immigrants and crime, this may contribute to real-life prejudice."
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NETFLIX Devi and Paxton, as portrayed by |
With its work at large, Define American is helping the entertainment industry develop authentic portrayals of immigrant characters on screen, with the goal of creating positive and long-lasting cultural change.
"Define American is partnering with the Lear Center to pioneer a model of research in Hollywood that is unprecedented," said Sarah E. Lowe, Director of Research and Evaluation at Define American.
Define American stated in its press release, "we believe that entertainment and pop culture are often the lenses through which we see the world,"
While there is much to celebrate in recent shifts on television, there is also more work to be done in Hollywood to fully capture the details and nuance of immigrant communities at large.
Among the key findings of the report, are:
40% of immigrant characters were associated with crime.
The number of immigrant characters associated with crime is at an all-time high. In 2020, we celebrated a dramatic drop in depictions of immigrant characters associated with crime. Unfortunately, the trend did not continue. In 2022, six times as many immigrant characters were featured in crime shows and procedurals when compared to 2020.
27% of immigrants on TV were AAPI.
Representation of AANHPI immigrant characters on television has more than doubled since our 2020 study. These gains are a step forward for Asian American representation; however, specifically Pacific Islander, or Pasifika, representation is lacking and is often erased from broader AAPI discourse.
2x as many Black immigrant characters were on television as there were in2020.
The growing representation of Black immigrant characters is in large part due to one sitcom, "Bob Hearts Abishola," from creator Gina Yashere. The television landscape also saw the inclusion of three Black undocumented characters, whereas previous research found no representation.
34% of immigrants on TV were Latine, dropping from 50% in 2020.
Representation of Latine immigrant characters has plummeted since 2020, dropping from 50% in 2020 to 34% in 2022 – even though in reality, Latine immigrants comprise 44% of all U.S. immigrants.
While there is much to celebrate in recent shifts on television, there is also more work to be done in Hollywood to fully capture the details and nuance of immigrant communities at large.
Among the key findings of the report, are:
40% of immigrant characters were associated with crime.
The number of immigrant characters associated with crime is at an all-time high. In 2020, we celebrated a dramatic drop in depictions of immigrant characters associated with crime. Unfortunately, the trend did not continue. In 2022, six times as many immigrant characters were featured in crime shows and procedurals when compared to 2020.
27% of immigrants on TV were AAPI.
Representation of AANHPI immigrant characters on television has more than doubled since our 2020 study. These gains are a step forward for Asian American representation; however, specifically Pacific Islander, or Pasifika, representation is lacking and is often erased from broader AAPI discourse.
2x as many Black immigrant characters were on television as there were in2020.
The growing representation of Black immigrant characters is in large part due to one sitcom, "Bob Hearts Abishola," from creator Gina Yashere. The television landscape also saw the inclusion of three Black undocumented characters, whereas previous research found no representation.
34% of immigrants on TV were Latine, dropping from 50% in 2020.
Representation of Latine immigrant characters has plummeted since 2020, dropping from 50% in 2020 to 34% in 2022 – even though in reality, Latine immigrants comprise 44% of all U.S. immigrants.
Television has the power to change hearts and minds, said Charlene Joy Jimenez, Director of Entertainment Partnerships & Advocacy at Define American. "We hope our research encourages the entertainment industry to lean into more nuanced storytelling, and ultimately create a deeper understanding of immigrant experiences in the United States," she said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
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