Abstract

The first part of this article summarizes research carried out during the last decade in the field of media use of ethnic minorities throughout Europe. Guiding research questions, underlying paradigms, and empirical evidence will be critically discussed in a comparative way. In the second part, empirical data of a Swiss survey among 1,600 adolescents aged 12 to 17 with migrant and Swiss backgrounds are presented. The comparative study points at similarities and differences in access to and use of old and new media such as the Internet as well as with the link between media use and social integration or cultural identity. Special emphasis is given to ethnic versus social factors as underlying explanatory factors. The results of the Swiss study are placed in the context of European research evidence.