The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis: Twenty-Five Years Later

Citizens’ acquisition of mass media information has long been a concern of social scientists and policy makers. The conventional wisdom that increasing the flow of information will ensure its widespread acquisition has been criticized based on studies showing inequitable information acquisition between groups of higher and lower socioeconomic status. The knowledge gap hypothesis, formalized in 1970, posits increasing differences in knowledge due to social structure-based inequities. Because of its important theoretical and policy implications, this hypothesis has generated considerable research and continues to concern social scientists and policy makers worldwide. This chapter reviews and critiques the development of the knowledge gap hypothesis over the past 25 years. Based on a comprehensive examination of studies, critiques, and dissertations, the authors identify the variables that potentially influence the gap phenomenon, the conditions under which gaps expand and contract, and areas that require further research. Finally, the authors evaluate the knowledge gap hypothesis as a scientific research program, using a sophisticated falsificationist perspective.