Rios, D. & Gaines Jr., S. (1998, Winter). Latino Media Use for Cultural Maintenance. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 746-761. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

About the Authors

Diana Rios is a communication sciences professor at the University of Connecticut and Associate Director of the Institute for Puerto Rican and Latino Studies.

 

Stanley Gaines Jr. is a psychology professor at Pomona College and in the Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies. Ofelia Barrios and Patricia Gonzales acted as research assistants in this study. The research conducted for this article was aided by the Southwest Hispanic Research Institution and Center for Regional Studies at the University of New Mexico.

The Study

 

The study conducted compares the results found by Rios and Gaines in an earlier study, using a sample from southwestern city in New Mexico. The purpose of the research is to study the “influence of gender and ethnic subgroup membership on Latino audiences’ use of English- and Spanish –language mass media for culture.”

 

This study investigates whether three ethnic subgroups identified in previous research would emerge as well if said study where replicated utilizing the same set of controls. Gender was also analyzed as another indicator or stressor as an impact on subgroup membership. It was expected that the present research would find similar results to that which was previously coducted.

 

The Sample and the Population

Over 200 adults in the area surrounding Albuquerque, New Mexico participated in the research. The study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. Cluster analysis was used on data for individual difference factors.

 

Hypothesis &Findings

The first hypothesis was compiled of three parts, testing the individual difference variables on cluster membership. The second compiled of two parts testing the impact of cluster membership on individuals’ use of cultural maintenance.

 

Findings suggested that cluster membership was a reliable predictor of individuals’ use of mass media for culture maintenance. The research also indicated that the three subgroups differed in their use of general and ethnic media. Present research suggests that “interaction effects involving gender were manifested primarily in individuals’ use of general market television;” these results differed from previous findings by Rios and Gaines, and were replicated in the current study, and exemplified in the findings.

 

This research provides a comparison of the same study done in two different areas. It enables the researcher to compare the results, and would be useful when comparing this to other studies of the same topics. However, it must be pointed out that the researcher suggests there is a weakness in the present research due to the sample size and representative sample. They also suggest that further studies may be considered in ethnographic field research in multiple Latino communities. (Reviewed by Erika Gutierrez; edited by Christopher Beck)