Exposure to diverse ethnic-racial media: Black, Latinx, and White Parents' attitudes toward media-based ethnic-racial socialization.

This study explores how ethnic-racial identity influences media selection of racially and ethnically diverse content among Black, Latinx, and White parents of young children in the United States. Findings indicate that Black and Latinx parents report stronger ethnic-racial identity than White parents, and this identity predicts favorable attitudes—but not beliefs—toward diverse media portrayals. Approximately two-thirds of parents recalled watching racially diverse media with their children, with Black and Latinx parents favoring ingroup representations and White parents favoring intergroup portrayals. The results partially support social identity gratifications theory, which emphasizes self-enhancing motivations for media selection, and multicultural theory, which links stronger racial identity to acceptance of diverse groups. The study highlights the role of ethnic-racial identity in media-based socialization practices and suggests further research on parents' socialization goals and diverse subpopulations.