The Knowledge Gap Versus the Belief Gap and Abstinence-Only Sex Education

Abstract

The knowledge gap hypothesis predicts widening disparities in knowledge of heavily publicized public affairs issues among socioeconomic status groups. The belief gap hypothesis extends the knowledge gap hypothesis to account for knowledge and beliefs about politically contested issues based on empirically verifiable information. This analysis of 3 national surveys shows belief gaps developed between liberals and conservatives regarding abstinence-only sex education; socioeconomic status–based knowledge gaps did not widen. The findings partially support both belief gap and knowledge gap hypotheses. In addition, the unique contributions of exposure to Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC in this process were investigated. Only exposure to Fox News was linked to beliefs about abstinence-only sex education directly and indirectly through the cultivation of conservative ideology.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the members of the Murrow Center for Media and Health Promotion Research at Washington State University for their support.

Notes

¹Preliminary content analyses of abstinence-only sex education content on transcripts from the three cable networks during 2005–2007 showed a greater proportion of proabstinence paragraphs on Fox News than on CNN or MSNBC, and a greater proportion of antiabstinence paragraphs on MSNBC than on the other two networks. All three networks devoted at least 42% of abstinence education paragraphs to discredited proabstinence opinions.