“Knowledge Gap” Phenomena

This article examines two rival explanations for knowledge gaps. One explanation relates to transsituational attributes that is, socioeconomic characteristics) while the second focuses upon situation-specific characteristics that is, policy-relevant personal motivations). Four measures of knowledge levels are employed—technical term familiarity, problem articulation, self-assessed level of informedness, and the ability to define key policy concepts. This study uses three SES measures (education, income, and occupational status) and five motivational measures (types of use of water, involvement in water politics, water policy satisfaction, water policy priority, and extremity of environmental attitudes). The results show that situation-specific factors are the more important influences on knowledge levels, casting doubt on theories suggesting that lower SES persons may be permanently relegated to a public affairs knowledge deficit.