Settling through media - Immigrants news consumption and its effects on acculturation | HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

De nieuwsconsumptie van immigranten en de effecten ervan op de acculturatie

The Netherlands has become a dynamic migration society, and active policies to facilitate immigrants' adaptation to Dutch society are needed. Traditionally, journalism fosters shared understanding among citizens, being vital for cultural adaptation. This PhD aims therefore to understand how immigrants consume news and the effects of news consumption on acculturation.

This PhD research seeks to grasp the dynamics of immigrant news consumption and its impact on acculturation. The goal is to help news organizations in meeting the evolving needs of an increasingly diverse population.

This ongoing PhD research will result in published articles in scientific and professional journals. Moreover, regular blogs appear on journalismlab.nl. Results also serve educational purposes in journalism education.

01 December 2023 - 01 December 2027

The research into the immigrant news consumer consists of four sub-studies:
Sub-study 1: How do immigrants form their media diet in the digital landscape? In-depth interviews
Sub-study 2: What predicts immigrants’ media consumption patterns? Survey
Sub-study 3: What kind of news content do immigrants consume about current affairs in the Netherlands, and to what extent does news consumption affect their understanding of and feelings towards Dutch society? Experience Sampling Method
Sub-study 4: How does news consumption affect immigrants’ acculturation over time? Experience Sampling Method and in-depth interviews

Camila Valgas
- PhD candidate
- Research group: Quality Journalism in Digital Transition
Yael de Haan
- Professor
- Research group: Quality Journalism in Digital Transition

All researchers

Quality Journalism in Digital Transition

"As NOS, our task is to keep everyone in the Netherlands well informed in the field of news, sports and events. However, research by Statistics Netherlands shows that 8.2% of people in the Netherlands speak a language other than Dutch at home. If you translate this into population, you arrive at about 1.45 million people. A target group that we are currently insufficiently reaching. The research can provide insights to enable us to perform our task better.” "
José de Vries, Innovation manager NOS

This PhD research is carried out under the supervision of lecturer and professor Y. (Yael) de Haan (Utrecht University of Applied Sciences/University of Groningen), prof. dr. Sanne Kruikemeier (Strategic Communication Group, Wageningen University & Research) and dr. T. (Tim) Groot Kormelink (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam).