II. How do students from China interact with others on campus?

③ Chinese students’ integration into U.S. campus life is changing, but not in one direction

Over the three decades from 1991 to 2021, we were surprised to find several indicators of campus integration slipping over time while other indicators were increasing. The data shows that it has become far more common for Chinese students to report that they have less time for socializing and need to spend more time studying (Figure 6a). However, when it comes to reporting specific activities they take part in, many participation levels have actually been rising over time.

As for the choice of activities, the most common type was “on-campus employment” and the second most common was participation in a “Chinese student organization or other cultural organization.” The level of participation in Chinese student organizations has been down for our post-2016 cohort as compared with the earliest cohort, replaced by participation in student newspapers and dance and theater groups. Volunteering also has steadily been on the rise, with the largest increase happening in the middle cohort. Over 20 percent of our sample participated in religious activities, volunteering, outdoor clubs, sports, and other extracurricular activities.

Figure 6a. Study-Life Balance: Comparison by Cohort

Figure 6b. Selected Extracurricular Activities: Differences in Participation by Cohort

Figure 7. Participation in Extracurricular Activities

Meals in college are often social occasions that bring students on campus together, yet our survey shows a steady increase in off-campus meal alternatives. In the most recent cohort, 35 percent of students reported ordering takeout, compared to just 6 percent and 16 percent of students from the first and second cohorts, respectively. Some 45 percent of the third cohort report frequenting restaurants, up from 8 percent of the first cohort and 25 percent of the second cohort.

On the other hand, when it comes to living arrangements, Chinese students from later cohorts in our sample are more likely to live with non-Chinese roommates than they were previously. While this may be due to an increasing number of undergraduates who have less choice in rooming options, it also points to an important manner in which students from China are becoming more integrated into broader campus life.

These divergent findings thus present a mixed bag. While Chinese international students in our sample report that they have less time for socializing that would help integrate them into campus life, there are contradictory trends such as the fact that students report living with a more diverse set of roommates over time. Overall, campus integration is clearly a complex issue that merits further examination.

④ Chinese international students now get most of their news from social media, drawing on both Chinese and American sources

The survey provides some evidence that debunks the notion that Chinese students rely largely on Chinese media sources and exist in a Chinese media bubble while in America. In fact, many respondents reported getting their news from both American and Chinese social media sources, showing a great deal of integration into the American media environment.

While recent graduates may not be following American newspapers and other traditional media as much as previous generations did, this parallels trends seen in Americans of similar age cohorts. Indeed, the decrease in viewing traditional media and the rise in use of social media is similar for our sample across both Chinese and English language media. As shown in Figure 8, Chinese media does not entirely dominate news consumed by Chinese international students.