Three generations, one nation: how mediated national assimilation shapes transgenerational views about “others” in foreign news

What is it about?

This research challenges common assumptions about how different generations view European asylum seekers through news media in Israel. Through interviews with 36 people across Generations X, Y, and Z, the study found that despite their different values and media habits, all generations shared similar views of European asylum seekers. This surprising unity in perception was primarily shaped by national and cultural factors like shared political ideologies and cultural proximity, rather than generational differences. The study introduces the concept of "mediated national assimilation" to explain how media coverage, combined with domestic cultural factors, creates unified perceptions of asylum seekers across generations. This makes an important contribution to both media studies and migration research by showing how national identity and cultural factors can override generational differences in shaping attitudes toward "others."

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