Introduction

Persons with intellectual disability (ID) in China is defined as having an IQ below 70 and significant adaptive deficits in cognitive cognition, social interaction, and life skills (CDPF, 2006). The number of registered persons with ID has reached 3,427,599 in China by the end of 2021 (CDPF, 2020). In fact, due to objective constraints and subjective reluctance in the process of applying for disability certificates, the majority of persons with ID do not have disability certificates, so the actual number is much higher than that (Chen and Yu, 2024). However, such a large group has not received sufficient attention from social policy and academia.

In China’s traditional family-oriented culture, families are given the primary responsibility for raising and caring for youth and young adults with ID, with parents being the primary caregivers (Shang and Fisher, 2014; Pan and Ye, 2015). In a context where social support policies are not yet well developed, youth and young adults with ID are viewed as a persistent source of stress that drags down the entire family (Kwok et al., 2011). Families tend to neglect the education of youth and young adults with ID and lack autonomy in living arrangements, marriage, etc., with parents making decisions on their behalf (Wong et al., 2011). Neglect of sexual education in the family, as well as the dependence and submissiveness that have developed over time, make youth and young adults with ID the most vulnerable to sexual abuse (Mansell, Sobsey and Moskal, 1998).

The “stigmatization” of persons with ID is a dynamic process. In this process, their perceived “abnormal” appearance and behaviors are negatively labeled and translated into emotional perceptions of society as a whole through stereotypical media campaigns. This also leads to prejudice and discrimination against persons with ID. (Link et al., 2004). In general, members of society acquire images and perceptions of people with ID through two main pathways: experiential constructs (direct contact) and social communication (Huws and Jones, 2011). Among them, television news has been a major force in shaping negative images of people with ID due to its wide audience, more visual and more dramatic characteristics (Pescosolido et al., 2008).

In China’s mainstream media discourse, the medical model of disability is still dominant, and young people with ID are referred to as “patients with ID” and socially constructed as “patients” (Ge, 2015). By selectively reproducing images of young people with ID and constructing them as distinct from the able-bodied other, television news reports reinforce social stereotypes and the power relationship between the “superior self” and the “inferior other” (Kallman, 2017). It also reinforces the power relations between the “superior self” and the “inferior other” (Kallman, 2017).

Discriminatory terms such as “idiot”, “the retarded” and “the stupid” are often used to refer to persons with ID in media narratives and interpersonal interactions, resulting in their severe “stigmatization” (Shi et al., 2023). As the main source of public knowledge about persons with ID, media coverage not only affects the public perception of society, but also has a number of negative impacts on the families and lives of persons with ID resulting in discrimination and disparities in their education, employment and integration into the community (Siperstein et al., 2011). Young people with ID are more oriented than children with ID and older persons with ID, and are therefore the subject of social exclusion and “stigmatization”. At present, research on the image reproduction of youth and young adults with ID is in a blank stage in China. Therefore, based on the TV news reports about youth and young adults with ID in China’s largest news and information database, this paper uses inductive content analysis to analyze the content of reports on youth with intellectual disabilities in television information, and explores what kind of images of young people with ID have been portrayed in Chinese TV news and summarizes the main types of images. The aim is to provide an illuminating perspective for understanding media coverage, public perceptions and policy change.

Literature review

The mass media, such as newspapers, television news, movies, etc., are one of the main channels for obtaining images of people with ID (Auslander and Gold, 1999; Pardun, 2005). However, media coverage of persons with ID is often inaccurate or biased, which may lead to unnecessary suffering for persons with ID and their families (Huws and Jones, 2011). In the process of image reproduction, the mass media is in complete control and it is almost difficult for us to hear voices from people with ID unless they have special talents (Jahoda et al., 2010). If persons with ID are cast into the role of “a menace”, for example, they will be treated in ways consistent with that role and may even “live up” to those expectations (Wolfensberger, 1972).

Since the 1960s, there has been a gradual increase in research on the intrinsic links between images of people with disabilities, the media and stigmatization. Through a content analysis of U.S. television programs, Zola (1985) found that the role of people with disabilities in mainstream media is unidirectional and unimportant, often constructed as dependent, unproductive, and in need of care. The most classic study comes from Barnes’ (1992) content analysis of British film, television and radio news, which found that images of persons with disabilities in the media were pitiable and pathetic, an object of violence, sinister and evil, atmosphere or curio, super cripple, object of ridicule, burden, sexually abnormal, incapable of participating fully in community life, with only a small proportion being “normal”.

Persons with ID are one of the groups of persons with disabilities most vulnerable to “stigmatization” and social discrimination (Dagnan and Waring, 2004). People with ID have all experienced discrimination and stigmatization when integrating into schools or mainstream society (Cooney et al., 2006). Individuals with ID are mostly constructed in media reports as pitiful, tragic, childish, decadent, and dependent in a negative way, with fewer normal, positive images (Chen et al., 2012). The media tends to stigmatize people with ID by spreading stereotypes and common myths that portray them as dangerous, unloved, abused and socially undesirable, or as gifted with special talents (Jones and Harwood, 2009).

Influenced by traditional Chinese culture, persons with ID are severely stigmatized, and they have to face tremendous pressure from public opinion and social discrimination, including a sense of shame and humiliation (Ge et al., 2021). Shame is a fundamental emotion in Chinese people/families and a result specific to Chinese values based on Confucianism and face-saving culture (Ho et al., 2004). As a result, families tend to confine the mentally challenged family member to the home, keeping his/her family secrets for as long as possible (Pan and Ye, 2015). In China, this group seems to be hidden, and the public has little direct access to it, and most of them can only gain knowledge of persons with ID in the media (Li and Wu, 2012).

Mass media is the main channel for the Chinese public to learn about people with ID (Bie and Tang, 2015). However, there are few relevant studies. The main images of people with ID in Taiwan newspapers were portrayed, “dispirited” image (44.5%), followed by “needy” (32.7%), and “affirmative”(22.8%). People with ID are constructed as “burdensome”, “weird” and “unspeakable” (Ge, 2015). Thus, persons with disabilities’ identities are the result of social construction rather than being disabled in the first place, and the media plays an important role in reproducing the image of persons with disabilities in this process (Ge, 2015).

Current research on the portrayal of the persons with ID in the media focuses mainly on Western countries, and there is a lack of relevant research from mainland China. Existing literature lacks a more detailed division of the group of people with ID, and young people with ID, who are more oriented than the elderly and children with ID, have received less attention from researchers. Moreover, most of the existing research focuses on newspapers and lacks analysis of other media, especially the content analysis of TV news, which has stronger visual impact and image shaping power. To summarize, this paper analyzes the content of TV news reports on young people with ID since 2009, and explores the image and identity of young people with ID presented in TV news reports.

Methods

Data collection

The data used in this paper comes from Television News and Information Teaching and Research Database of Sky Pulse (TVMVDB), the largest news and information database in China. This database records the news of more than 200 key TV stations in China from 2009 to the present (as of October 1, 2023, the time of authors’ collection of information), a total of 160 million pieces of information, and it has a strong representativeness and authoritativeness. Keywords such as “intellectual disabilities”, “intellectually disabled”, “youth and young adults”, etc. were used to conduct a comprehensive search, which was checked and proofread several times to avoid omitting relevant information. In order to improve the precision of the content analysis, this paper identified four exclusion criteria so as to ensure the accuracy of the data content. First, duplicative reports were excluded; second, reports that only contained information on program or notification of activities were excluded; third, reports about youth and young adults with intellectual disabilities abroad were excluded; fourth, other obviously irrelevant information was excluded. Finally, a total of 388 news items met the requirements of this paper’s analysis.

Data analysis

This paper uses inductive content analysis to provide an objective, systematic, and quantitative description of the content of coverage of youth and young adults with ID in television information (Barelson, 1952). The content analysis method mainly consists of three processes: open coding, creating categories, and refining core categories (Elo and Kyngäs, 2008). In the first stage of open coding, the author coded 388 TV news messages one by one, and made necessary annotations and remarks. In the second stage, conceptualization was carried out on the basis of completing all the open coding, and 13 themes were extracted, and similarly coded content was grouped into the same theme to be classified.

The class construct contains three main parts: first, basic information, such as news title, time of reporting, news source, media name, etc.; second, presentation, such as news section (society, rule of law, entertainment, important news, etc.), theme of reporting (violent crime, victimization, social attitudes, etc.), and evaluative stance (positive/negative, narration style, language use, etc.); and third, image reproduction, which contains a total of 13 secondary themes, such as the comical and ridiculous, the imprisoned and isolated person, the gifted and talented person, etc. In the third stage, based on the close integration of the research objectives and interview data, four core categories with overarching characteristics were abstracted and refined, namely, deviant identity, burdensome identity, dehumanized identity, and motivational identity. Finally, the coding results were subjected to Kappa consistency coefficient test, and 20% of the randomly selected samples (76 cases in total) were tested for reliabilityFootnote 1, and the results showed a reliability of 0.92, which is greater than 0.85, proving that the coding results lie within the acceptable range (Kassarjian, 1977).

Findings

Based on the content analysis of 388 TV news articles, we found that the identity of youth and young adults with ID was mostly burdensome identity (36.3%), followed by deviant identity (25.5%), dehumanized identity (25%), and motivational identity (13.2%). Further analysis reveals that the burdensome identity is dominated by the people in need of care (17%), with the incompetent and ignorant people (11.6%) also occupying a larger share; the deviant identity is dominated by the “abnormal” people (7.7%), followed by the funny people (6.7%); the dehumanized identity is dominated by the victims of bullying (13.4), followed by the demented and gullible (6.7%); and the least reported identity was that of motivational identity, with the people who are physically Disabled but Determined (5.4%), followed by the self-supporting people (4.9%). It can be seen that the image of youth and young adults with ID in TV news reports is usually a negative image of poor/pathetic, misbehaving and in need of assistance.

The deviant identity

The “abnormal” people: “others” as the heterogeneous

In media reports, youth and young adults with ID are often referred to as “weird”, “different” and seen as “heterogeneous” from the able-bodied. Such as the titles “Jumping to commit suicide just because of a bad mood: intellectually disabled women become addicted to jumping off buildings”, “A mentally handicapped man in Guoyang threw stones on the vehicle of urban management officers, and his nose bone was broken” etc. In the media, it appears that it is difficult to communicate normally with youth and young adults with ID and that able-bodied people cannot understand their behaviors. They are seen as “puzzling” and “people who entertain themselves” and are labeled as “stupid” and “living in their own world”.

A woman in her 20 s was bathing in a field without clothes, and villagers communicating with her found that she was not thinking clearly and did not look normal… Due to the woman’s intellectual problems, she was unable to communicate and exchange ideas. Due to the inability to verify her identity information, the villagers temporarily placed her in the social aid station. (“Intellectually disabled woman bathing in the field, the villagers called the police to find relatives for her”, CQXWGQ20151021).

The funny people: “others” who are fooled

Youth and young adults with ID are often portrayed in television news as “funny and ridiculous”, and the most common reports are about youth and young adults with ID who violate social customs and norms. Additionally, in some news reports, the media often exploit the comical portrayal of youth and young adults with ID, deliberately emphasizing their silly or absurd behavior to attract attention and drive traffic.

In “A Xi”, X plays a mentally handicapped boy. The stuttering, slow-moving boy with a silly expression in the picture is very different from X’s image of a tall, rich and handsome man, doesn’t it feel like his moral integrity has been shattered to the ground? (“It’s not easy to be a star, X is a tall, rich and handsome man who plays a mentally handicapped boy”, DNWS20130626).

In television reports, youth and young adults with ID are often portrayed as having a low IQ, a silly and bizarre appearance, stupid behavior and gibberish, making them a source of laughter for people in their daily lives. Some even make fun of youth and young adults with ID for the purpose of “clowning around”.

Neurological patients have broad thinking, while intellectually disabled children are more joyful… A middle-aged man in Shenmu County tempted a mentally disabled beggar to call him “dad” and demanded that he should kneel and kowtow before getting 1 yuan, causing laughter throughout the audience. (“Kowtow once for one yuan, a man teases intellectually disabled beggar”, HNDS20160315).

Troublemakers: the “unrelenting” others

Youth and young adults with ID are often portrayed in the news as “troublemakers”, portrayed as people who do not conform to social norms and are free to do as they please. For example, reports with titles such as “Wuxi mentally handicapped woman breaks down door and runs away, her family searches for 24 h” and “Mentally handicapped woman suddenly returns home after three years of disappearance, her family is attacked”. By mapping out the hateful, irritating, but helpless state of the people without disabilities when facing them, it highlights the “stupidity”, and inability to control their own behavior and to be disciplined and restrained of the youth with intellectual disabilities.

Firstly, the image of trouble for their families. As the primary caregivers of youth and young adults with ID, family members have to deal with unexpected events that may occur at any time. Reports of family disintegration and family tragedies caused by youth and young adults with ID often appear on television news.

At that time, the house was locked, and only this foolish son was inside. Perhaps he had set the house on fire while playing with the fire… Last time the previous landlord drove us away and didn’t let us live there because he set on fire, and when we were looking for this house, the landlord also said he wouldn’t let us live if it caught fire again… (“A mentally retarded child starts a fire that burns down his house, and neighbors help them get through it”, LNDSPD20131212).

Secondly, the image of being a nuisance to public service workers. Youth and young adults with ID are portrayed in the media as often causing problems for public service workers and receiving “special attention”. In addition, when youth and young adults with ID violate relevant laws, it brings difficulties in judgment and handling for civil servants.

Although the victim was determined to have serious injuries, the case continued for months before a determination could be made because both parties were mentally retarded and unable to clearly express their intentions, and both parties provided testimony that was answered by family members on their behalf. (“Two Mentally Retarded Men with a Muddled Account, Police Investigation Unable to Determine Cause of Injury”, HBWS20100327).

Finally, the image of causing problems for other members of society. Due to the image of strange behavior presented by the media, youth and young adults with ID cause problems for other members of society, such as the report with the headline “Dumpster suddenly appear a living person, mentally retarded man scares sanitation workers”.

One snowy night, a homeless woman (who was mentally disabled) was wandering alone on the street, shivering. She didn’t know where she lived, so an elder sister on a tricycle inquired all the way around the village and finally sent her home. (“Mentally Disabled Woman Wanders on Street in Snowy Night, Warm-hearted Sister on Tricycle Helps Her Return Home”, JSGQ 20140208).

The undisciplined people: the misbehaving others

Given that youth and young adults with ID are unable to understand the social norms established by people without disabilities, they are unable to become “standardized” citizens. Media reports construct youth and young adults with ID as misbehaving individuals who are uncontrollable and difficult to manage. For example, the report with headline “Tracking a woman in a rescue station: both husband and wife have intellectual disabilities, and their family is worried by controlling them”.

First, they are constructed as violent deviants, highly aggressive, and seen as erratic “mad ones” who are frightening. Due to their intellectually disabled status, youth and young adults with ID can enjoy the privilege of being exempted from criminal legal punishment, which leads to a social generalized mentality of “avoiding them instead of messing with them”, thus exacerbating the social isolation and social exclusion of young people with intellectual disabilities.

34-year-old Sun, illiterate, intellectually disabled, but hot-tempered… In 2004, due to land disputes with his second uncle’s family, Sun then used a knife to attack his second uncle; in 2009, due to a dispute with his brother-in-law, Sun fiercely chopped several times at him with a kitchen knife that night; in 2013, Sun forcibly took a intellectually disabled woman walking alone home and raped her three times. Later, due to a dispute, Sun strangled the woman to death with a strip of cloth… (“A mentally retarded man raped and killed a mentally retarded woman: three times of intentional homicide in ten years”, SXKJPD20140407).

Second, youth and young adults with ID often appear in media reports as persistent nuisances and disruptors of public order. Due to the lack of sex education and appropriate guidance, youth and young adults with ID are viewed as individuals unable to control their own behavior and become practitioners of sexual harassment and crime. In the media, they are viewed as a threatening factor to social security and are prevented and segregated.

A mentally retarded man, about 20 years old, pounced on a woman and then molested her in the street. There were more people on the road, and it was more dangerous for cars to come and go, and this suspect looked abnormal and mentally disabled at first glance. (“The Most Deranged - Mentally Disabled Man Tails Woman and Molests Her in the Street”, AHGG20140504).

Burdensome identity

Youth and young adults with ID are regarded as a “liability” and a disaster and a burden to their families. For example, reports with headlines such as “Mentally handicapped son is a sweet burden” and “Son’s serious illness is difficult to treat, mentally handicapped granddaughter becomes a burden”. Through the dissemination of television news, their identity as “dependents” is constructed.

Incompetent and ignorant people

Youth and young adults with ID are often portrayed on television as childish and “foolish”, and are considered to be intellectually deficient and cognitively incapable. Although they are adults, they are perceived as lacking the capacity to act independently and are often unable to participate normally in social life, and are therefore often subjected to toddler-like “special treatment”.

Isn’t there something wrong for the big young man in the video to have his family address and parents’ contact phone number printed on his T-shirt, so clearly stating his family background? Exactly! This 32-year-old young man suffers from ID. He burned his brain due to a fever at a very young age. (“Full of Love! Parents Write Phone Numbers on Mentally Disabled Child’s T-shirt”, HHXWPD20140718).

First, the image of difficulty in finding a partner. News reports often convey the metaphor that youth and young adults with ID have intellectual deficits that make it difficult for them to find a partner and prevent them from having marital bliss. Parents, in order to fulfill the task of getting youth and young adults with ID married, hold the idea of “just letting them have a partner” and no longer consider their children’s personal wishes, thus “purchasing marriage” for them.

Parents went around begging for help from relatives and friends to introduce their intellectually disabled son to a wife, even if she had a slightly ID or other ailments. And it’s fine to spent money to buy one (daughter-in-law). Later, through a friend’s introduction, they finally found a woman, and spent 270,000 yuan as betrothal presents. While within a month after getting married, their daughter-in-law ran away… (“Finding a wife for their intellectually disabled son, the old couple is so troublesome”, WXDSZXPD20150311).

Second, the image of a lack of employability. In China, because most youth and young adults with ID lack access to education and have low human capital, it is difficult for them to find work in the labor market. Media reports have further reinforced the stereotype that young people with intellectual disabilities lack employability and are unemployable.

Chen has always wanted to work outside, but no company has accepted her. Due to Chen’s secondary ID, she is considered to have lost her employability, making it difficult for someone like her to find employment. (Helping intellectually disabled women find a job, CZXWPD20100412).

People in need of care

Images of youth and young adults with ID portrayed in the media are often labeled as “lost people” and “vagrants”. For example, reports with headlines such as “Intellectually disabled youth lost in market in front of home” and “Some mentally disabled workers in Sichuan once again living on the streets”. These reports imply that youth and young adults with ID are incapable of taking care of themselves, that they cannot even find their way home, and that they need constant care and attention. Without care, they will not be able to survive, and the image of the helpless “others” is portrayed.

Xiaoping is a mentally disabled patient who has difficulty taking care of himself. After he got lost, his mother was on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, a kind-hearted person found him. At that time, he was unconscious and had obvious symptoms of epilepsy. Coupled with the cold weather, he was already frozen stiff. (“Six Days and Six Nights After a Mentally Disabled Boy Went Lost”, ZJMSXXPD20130111).

People in need of assistance

As youth and young adults with ID are constructed as “the weak ones to be taken care of”, they are seen as incapable of autonomous behavior, helpless patients and lacking a sense of autonomy, needing to live under the protection of others all the time. If the family caregiver dies or loses the ability to care, the youth and young adults with ID is left with no one to turn to but a centralized institution.

Although Xiaoyao is 24-years-old, due to his ID, he cannot take care of himself and needs to be taken care of by others. If no one manages him, he will become like a beggar, dirty and smelly. After his parents divorced, there was no one to take care of him, so he had to be placed in a nursing home. (“Who should take care of the intellectually disabled adult left unattended”, WXDSZXPD20141121).

In media reports, youth and young adults with ID are often portrayed as “incompetent” and “helpless”, unable to maintain a basic life on their own. For those youth and young adults with ID who lack family support, they can only rely on the government and society for assistance.

What should these intellectually disabled children do when their parents grow old? This requires not only the care of the government, but also the attention of caring individuals from all sectors of society. (World Day of Disabled People, Caring for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities, HEBDSPD 20121203).

Dehumanized identity

Victims of bullying: whose bodies that have been violated

Reports of female youth and young adults with ID being sexually assaulted often appear. Such as “Lost intellectually disabled girl was raped, police conduct comprehensive search to arrest suspect” and “Crazy online dissemination of indecent photos, it turns out to be intellectually disabled girl sexually assaulted”. The image presented in the above report is that young people with intellectual disabilities have no sexual ability and are easily violated.

Xiaojuan’s belly grew bigger day by day. After taking her to the hospital for examination, her family found out that she had been pregnant for 8 months, and she had no choice but to give birth. After paternity testing, it was determined that the child’s father was their 64-year-old neighbor Wang. Xiaojuan has delayed intellectual development and lacks sexual prevention ability. In front of the evidence, Wang admitted to the fact that he had seduced and sexually assaulted Xiaojuan three times. (Intellectually disabled girl accidentally gave birth to a child, the biological father is actually the old man in the neighborhood, BTVKJ20160607).

The reports about youth and young adults with ID being beaten and victimized have also challenged the public’s bottom line of understanding, such as the titles “A group of post-90s people crazily abuse a mentally disabled person” and “Intellectually disabled teenagers being bound and killed, with lower body cut by sharp tools”. In these reports, they were abused and became tools to satisfy the special preferences of some able-bodied people, and the image of “helpless victims” was constructed.

Ade was beaten by He three times within five days, the picture of his face covered with blood makes people both sympathize and resent: who on earth would do this to an innocent mentally handicapped person? After investigation, He was a perennial drug addict, living a ignoble life and by bullying people weaker than him to obtain psychological compensation. (“Mentally Disabled Man Was Beaten One After Another, Why Is Suspect So Cruel”, JSWS20130413).

The imprisoned and segregated: youth and young adults in chains

As youth and young adults with ID are constructed as incompetent, ignorant and dependent, they are viewed as individuals with no sense of autonomy or ability to act. If they are free to move around, they can easily get “lost” in an unattended situation. Therefore, for the purpose of “protecting” youth and young adults with ID, it is common for families to “keep” them in closed “dark rooms”. This behavior has been described in the media as “helpless love”.

In order to prevent their son from getting lost, the parents locked their intellectually disabled son in a small room of less than 12 square meters, which lasted for more than ten years. This approach is both heartbreaking and helpless for them, and it is more of a form of protection than imprisonment. (“Helpless Love! The Old Man Ties His intellectually disabled Son for Over Ten Years”, HNGG20140120).

Rather than being an attempt to protect youth and young adults with ID, it is a convenient way for family caregivers to seek relief. In China, where the birth of an intellectually disabled child is considered to be the responsibility of the family, social policies only intervene for poor families or those with no one to care for them. As a result, they are considered a liability and a burden to the family, putting enormous pressure on the physical health status, psychology and work of family members.

At the age of 18, A Bao had a congenital ID. Due to his father’s visual disability and inability to take care of him, he was locked in an abandoned and dilapidated house for three years, hungry, naked, and the situation is very miserable. A Bao’s father said, “I was dragged down to death by him, and he also suffered, which is equivalent to imprisonment. So it is better to send him away.” (“Father’s ‘Prison’: Locking for Three Years With A Wire, Father ‘Imprisoned’ Mentally Disabled Child”, SXJJ20130621).

In addition, youth and young adults with ID require special treatment because they are seen as misbehaving deviants who are unable to control their own behavior and who pose a threat to the social order if they are “free”. For the purpose of protecting other members of society and maintaining social order, youth and young adults with ID are often portrayed in the media as “wailers in a cage”, deprived of their basic right to freedom.

The 28-year-old mentally retarded daughter often runs out to destroy crops in other people’s fields, beat up other children, and even cut and burn things, so her parents lock her up in a hut and don’t dare to let her out. (“Girl Suffers from Mental Retardation, Chained for Nine Years”, SCXW20150130).

The demented and gullible: exploited identity

Youth and young adults with ID are often described by the media as naive, foolish and “ignorant” individuals, lacking the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Reports such as “Intellectually disabled woman was robbed, originally due to being deceived and sexually exploited by a man” and “An intellectually disabled man was extorted due to careless friendship”. Most media reports attribute the vulnerability of youth and young adults with ID to their condition, reinforcing societal perceptions of them as ignorant, immature, and easily deceived.

First, as young women, young women with ID are often portrayed in the media as vulnerable to trafficking and marriage fraud. In order to get married and have kids and fulfill the purpose of continuity of a clan, these bachelors target young mentally disabled female youths and regard them as tools for procreation, leading to frequent cases of abduction and fraudulent marriages.

In order to perpetuate the family, the Old Ran tricked a mentally handicapped woman, Xiaohua, into going home and forcing her to marry his son, who is deaf and mute and can’t get an able-bodied woman as wife. Although 26-year-old Xiaohua only has the behavioral ability of a 5-year-old child, as long as she can give birth to a child, she is fine. (“No Money for a Daughter-in-Law, Old Man Tricks Mentally Handicapped Woman into Becoming a Bride”, HZZHPD20120224).

Second, as young laborers, youth and young adults with ID are constructed as free laborers who are easy to enslave and use without compensation. Youth and young adults with ID are portrayed as slaves with no sense of rights, who can perform heavy/dirty physical work that the able-bodied do not want to do, and can be enslaved and scolded at will without being paid for their labor, and who are completely reduced to profit-making tools for the factory owners, and are subjected to dehumanizing treatment.

This brick factory forces the mentally handicapped to do heavy physical labor without paying for their labor, and uses abusive language, detention, and restriction of personal freedom against the mentally handicapped. In the eyes of the brick factory boss, the price paid for enslaving people with intellectual disabilities is relatively low, and they simply don’t regard people with intellectual disabilities as human beings. (“A Brick Factory in Yunnan Detains and Forces Mentally Handicapped People to Labor Without Pay, and Beats Them if They Don’t Work”, ZJGG20160918).

As bodies with legal citizenship but no sense of autonomy, youth and young adults with ID are often used by lawbreakers to take the blame for crimes and become scapegoats for other criminals. In a report headlined “Intellectually disabled man missing for 3 years serving sentence, his family suspects him of taking the blame”, the intellectually disabled young man, A Xi, became the victim of a “conspiracy” between law enforcement and criminals. In reports, young people with intellectual disabilities were killed to fake mine accidents and thus obtain compensation, and youth and young adults with ID were reduced to tools for the lawbreakers to make profits.

Motivational identity

“Unusual” people who are physically disabled but determined

In recent years, there has been a gradual increase in the number of positive images of youth and young adults with ID in media narratives. For example, reports with titles such as “Chen Gong, a young man with ID who pursues hope” and “Shi Le, a young man with ID: I love music with all my life” are all based on the inspirational stories of youth and young adults with ID. These reports all focus on the inspirational stories of youth and young adults with ID, celebrating their “unexpected” achievements. Apart from the official motivational models, the most common type of motivational identity, namely the “physically disabled but determined”, usually celebrates the quality of youth and young adults with ID in overcoming their physical disabilities despite the difficulties.

They (people with intellectual disabilities) are timid and afraid of strangers, and it’s hard for them to even speak. They have physical and expressive disabilities, yet they can successfully complete an hour-long stage play and impress the audience. This group of unusual children has done it. (“Mentally challenged people are reborn in nirvana, acting on stage in their true colors”, SHXWZH20150116).

By analyzing media narratives about “the physically disabled but determined”, it can be found that a large number of reports still focus on the “unusual” aspects of intellectually disabled youth. Because they are extraordinary, even with general achievements, they can still receive special attention from the outside world. The media narrative implies this: “They are all so abnormal, but they can still do this. It’s really amazing.”

“Children in Peizhi School have various intellectual and physical disabilities, unlike ordinary children, but can you imagine that a girl with severe cerebral atrophy which seriously impaired intelligence would win second prize in the city’s essay contest?” (“Intellectually Disabled Girl Lights Up Her Life with Adamancy”, WXXWPD20110515).

Puzzlingly gifted people

Some of the youth and young adults with ID have certain special talents. For example, in a report titled “Guan Zheng, a mentally handicapped ‘genius’, has a different life by playing the gong”, Guan Zheng, though severely mentally handicapped, has a special obsession with the art of opera and an innate sense of music, and has never made a mistake in hundreds of performances. Another example is the report titled “Mentally handicapped boy becomes a math genius, the real version of ‘Rain Man’ touches the nation”:

Zhou Wei from Shanxi Province, who has a moderate ID, has been dubbed China’s “Rain Man” because of his unusual genius for mental arithmetic and the strongest brain in the world, and has been able to support his family with his mathematical talent (HNDS20140120).

In the above report, youth and young adults with ID were constructed as “gifted individuals” with special talents. The words “intellectually disabled” and “strongest brain”, “intellectually disabled” and “genius”, which form a strong contrast, have constructed the images and character cognition of youth and young adults with ID that are “puzzling” and “mysterious”.

Conditionally self-supporting people

In contrast to the image of dependent people who need to be rescued, some youth and young adults with ID have gained independence through employment. There are reports such as “Intellectually disabled woman learns to take care of herself and her family”, “Intellectually disabled youth sells afternoon tea”, and “16 intellectually disabled car washers form a car wash business”. Although youth and young adults with ID face many obstacles in employment, they are actively overcoming them in an effort to break away from their dependency status.

A café in Hangzhou is rather unusual in that customers don’t urge to make the coffee quickly or laugh at them for getting the wrong change, as the small store is run by a couple of special owners who suffer from ID, cerebral palsy and Down’s syndrome, and are supporting themselves with the help of their parents. (“Intellectually Disabled Youth and Young Adults Open A Small Shop to Support Themselves”, LNGQ20170910).

In media reports, the identity of youth and young adults with ID as “self-sufficient” is “conditional” and usually requires targeted recruitment or employment protection, such as “Love Bakery exclusively accepts intellectually disabled people for employment” and “Forrest Gump Restaurant supports intellectually disabled people in employment”. The media calls for more tolerance, understanding, encouragement, and patience in the work of intellectually disabled youth. But this seems to convey a metaphor: they are not ordinary people, so they need sympathy and pity, and they need to be understood and encouraged. The media invisibly building a distinction between “us” and “them”, still viewing them as different “others” from us.

Seeing the advertisement of the bakery calling for people from all walks of life to go and buy to send love. Ms. Yao said that because this group of people is not easy, so she wants to give some love to support and help them. (“Helpful Echo: Mentally Handicapped People Make Bread, Enthusiastic Citizens Come to Buy”, NJXWZH20120409).

Discussion

From an international perspective, the categories of media narratives about persons with disabilities are mainly divided into two categories: traditional focus and progressive focus (Chen et al., 2012). Among them, the traditional focus originates from the medical model of disability, which views disability as a disease and focuses on its physical defects and disabling state; the progressive focus originates from the social model of disability, which views disability as a result of social barriers and lack of support, and emphasizes themes such as self-reliant living for people with disabilities. In this study, burdensome identity, deviant identity and dehumanized identity belong to the traditional focus with a high percentage of 86.9%. Whereas, the self-reliant person identity belongs to the progressive focus with only 13.1%.

In existing literature, media portrayals of individuals with intellectual disabilities often emphasize dependency and helplessness (Barnes, 1992; Zola, 1985). These findings are consistent with the results of this study. Particularly in the construction of the “deviant identity” and “burdensome identity”, Chinese television news accentuates the otherness and abnormality of individuals with intellectual disabilities, further deepening societal prejudice against them. In the construction of the “dehumanized identity”, individuals with intellectual disabilities are frequently depicted as helpless and incapable of self-care, often portrayed as “pitiful” and “tragic”, which aligns with findings from Taiwanese media studies (Chen et al., 2012). Additionally, this study identified the less common construction of the “motivational identity” in Chinese media. While this identity appears positive, it is often accompanied by a moralizing narrative that idealizes individuals with intellectual disabilities, overlooking their actual needs. This is similar to the “supercrip” stereotype described by Barnes (1992), which portrays people with disabilities as heroes overcoming tremendous challenges. Although such portrayals challenge traditional negative stereotypes, they may also create unrealistic expectations, further isolating individuals with intellectual disabilities from mainstream society.

This study also highlights the influence of China’s unique cultural context on media portrayals. Under the influence of traditional culture, individuals with intellectual disabilities are not only regarded as “different” but also as a “shame” to the family. This cultural pressure leads families to hide relatives with intellectual disabilities, avoiding public scrutiny and further isolating them from society (Ge et al., 2021). This cultural factor is particularly evident in the construction of the “dehumanized identity”, where individuals with intellectual disabilities are depicted as unable to communicate normally, often confined to their homes or care facilities, which reinforces their social isolation.

Television news tends to dramatize negative stereotypes, amplifying them through widespread dissemination and quickly shaping public perceptions. This emotionally charged reporting often reinforces the stigmatization of individuals with intellectual disabilities. In contrast, portrayals in newspapers and films are more rigid and one-dimensional. Newspaper reports frequently depict youth and young with intellectual disabilities as “victims” or “dependents”, lacking representation of their diversity (Chen et al., 2012). Due to the emotionally detached nature of print media, these reports often emphasize the helplessness and vulnerability of individuals with disabilities while overlooking their individuality and agency (Isaksson and Björquist, 2021). Films, as a powerful visual storytelling medium, often portray intellectual disabilities in extreme ways—either emphasizing the “supercrip” trope, crafting an exaggerated inspirational narrative by showcasing extraordinary abilities, or depicting individuals with intellectual disabilities as “pitiful” or “monstrous”, reflecting society’s fear and alienation of disability (Alfredsson Ågren et al., 2020). By exaggerating the “others” of disabled characters, films often reinforce the divide between people with disabilities and the non-disabled population, weakening their representation as ordinary members of society. Conversely, platforms such as short video apps and other new media provide broader spaces for self-expression, allowing individuals with intellectual disabilities to participate in shaping their own representation, thereby challenging the negative stereotypes traditionally seen in other media (Borgström et al., 2019).

This study is the first to systematically analyze the identity constructions of youth and young adults with intellectual disabilities in Chinese television news. By identifying four primary identity constructions, this study fills a gap in research on media portrayals of individuals with intellectual disabilities in the Chinese context. These findings offer new perspectives for understanding the social positioning of individuals with intellectual disabilities in Chinese society and contribute to the global discourse on media representation of people with disabilities. Additionally, this study expands the scope of research on disability representation, particularly in television news, which has a stronger visual and emotional impact compared to other media forms. Through an analysis of news reports from 2009 to 2023, this study reveals the critical role television news plays in shaping public perceptions of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The findings of this study further underscore the importance of Disability Equality Training for media practitioners, advocating for the creation of an inclusive media environment by avoiding the use of discriminatory language.

Implications

This study has important implications for policymakers, media professionals, and the general public. First, when reporting on individuals with intellectual disabilities, the media should adopt more responsible and cautious practices to avoid perpetuating negative stereotypes. By standardizing the language used in media reports and constructing positive and authentic portrayals, the media can play a crucial role in reducing the stigmatization of individuals with intellectual disabilities. It is recommended that an advisory body comprising individuals with different types of disabilities be established. All media reports concerning people with disabilities should be submitted to this body for review, in order to eliminate inaccurate or stigmatizing reports and improve public perceptions of young people with intellectual disabilities, thereby promoting their identity development.

Second, the use of new media platforms, such as short video apps, should be emphasized as they provide broader spaces for self-expression among people with intellectual disabilities. These platforms challenge the negative stereotypes traditionally seen in television, newspapers, and films, allowing individuals with intellectual disabilities to participate in shaping their own narratives. This shift in media representation offers opportunities to break down stereotypes and contributes to more inclusive and diverse portrayals of people with intellectual disabilities.

Finally, policymakers should prioritize the issue of social integration for individuals with intellectual disabilities, particularly in the areas of education and employment. By formulating targeted policies that promote their inclusion in society, the government can help reduce the marginalization of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The media can also play a role by reporting on these policies and their outcomes, fostering a more inclusive social environment.

Limitations

This study also has certain research limitations. First, this study is the first attempt to study the media reproduction of the image of youth and young people with ID in mainland China, so we lacked relevant materials with reference significance, and there was less room for literature dialog. Second, this study is only a content analysis conducted in one medium, television news, and has not yet examined communication media such as newspapers, film and television works. Finally, the construction of stigma for people with ID is a relatively complete process that includes the stages of news shaping process, stigmatized news reports, and stigma internalization (the public reaction or behavior). Due to the limitation of the length of the article, a more comprehensive discussion has not been conducted in this paper, and future research can explore more deeply in related areas.

Conclusions

This study critically examines the media representation of youth and young with intellectual disabilities in mainland China, highlighting the dominant negative stereotypes perpetuated by television news. Through the analysis of 388 TV news reports, we identified four primary types of identities constructed for these individuals: deviant identity, burdensome identity, dehumanized identity, and motivational identity. These portrayals often reinforce stigmatization, marginalization, and social exclusion, reflecting deep-rooted cultural beliefs and societal attitudes towards disability.

The mass media, as the main source of public knowledge about persons with intellectual disabilities, plays a pivotal role in shaping public perceptions. However, the prevalent negative depictions contribute to a cycle of discrimination and misunderstanding. These media portrayals are influenced by cultural factors such as traditional Chinese views on disability, developmentalist discourse, and the broader societal tendency to view individuals with intellectual disabilities as “others”. There is an urgent need to reform how media reports on youth and young with intellectual disabilities. Shifting towards more positive, inclusive, and accurate representations can help reduce stigma and promote better social integration. Additionally, it is crucial for both media professionals and policymakers to work together in addressing these issues, ensuring that the voices and experiences of youth and young with intellectual disabilities are fairly and respectfully represented in the media landscape.