The Influence of Ethnic Media Online on Vietnamese American Immigrant Voting Patterns

Abstract

Several studies have found that Vietnamese Americans display Republican voting patterns in U.S. elections compared to Democratic voting patterns found in other Asian American ethnic groups. The literature in the field speculates that these voting patterns can be explained by cultural beliefs attained from the Vietnam War and disdain for communism and China. Other research has explored the prevalence of ethnic media usage in the Vietnamese American community. This study aims to explore the role of ethnic media usage on Vietnamese American immigrant voting patterns. To investigate this phenomenon, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with six Vietnamese American immigrants ranging from the ages of 30 to 54. The collected data was analyzed by coding for themes (thematic analysis). Analysis of the interview responses demonstrated that ethnic media usage has a significant impact on voting patterns and political beliefs. The findings of this research indicate that Vietnamese Americans sought out ethnic media that would specifically cater to their pre-existing beliefs, solidifying their political views, and ultimately leading them to vote a certain way. With this understanding, future election campaigns should focus their efforts online through ethnic media outlets to better interact with the Vietnamese community. Further research is needed to explore this phenomenon in other ethnic groups and to ascertain the importance of ethnic media to immigrant populations.