Revisiting the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis

Abstract

The findings of this study support the significance of motivational variables and media use in modifying the relationship between education and knowledge acquisition. People's behavioral involvement in the 1992 presidential campaign influenced the knowledge gap between education groups such that the gap was significantly smaller among those with a higher level of involvement. Also, respondents' television news viewing during the campaign significantly reduced the knowledge gap between education groups; thus, the more frequently people watched news stories on television, the smaller the impact of education on knowledge acquisition. The results also showed that there was a significant three-way interaction among education, campaign interest, and newspaper news attention, which indicates that the contribution of newspaper news attention to the knowledge gap between education groups differed depending on respondents' campaign interests.