Knowledge Gaps, Belief Gaps, and Public Opinion about Health Care Reform

Abstract

This study tests hypotheses regarding the distribution of beliefs and knowledge about health care reform. The belief gap hypothesis suggests that in an era of political polarization, self-identification as a Democrat or Republican would be a better predictor of knowledge and beliefs about politically contested issues than would one’s educational level. Findings show that gaps in beliefs and knowledge regarding health care reform between Republicans and Democrats grew, and gaps based on educational levels disappeared.