‘What would they think of us?’ The impact of the China threat narrative in Australian media on PRC migrants and social cohesion

This paper engages closely with the perspectives of a particular cohort of Chinese-Australians: first-generation Mandarin-speaking migrants in Australia from the PRC. It aims to examine their responses and reactions to mainstream English-language news stories about their community and about the PRC. Drawing on data from a large quantitative survey, 20 in-depth interviews, and three group discussions, the paper explores three dimensions: how members of this cohort see themselves portrayed in the media; how they see the PRC being portrayed in the media; and what impact they believe such portrayals have on the Australian general public. The discussion aims to update the prevailing analytical framework of hostile media perception, as well as to shed light on the challenges facing the social cohesion agenda in multicultural societies that are a consequence of rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics.