Did the “Magic” Work? Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis

Abstract

The knowledge gap hypothesis, which argues that individuals with higher levels of education are able to process and understand information in the news media better than those with less education and thus learn more from news accounts, was examined on the topic of AIDS through a two-wave trend study. Wave one was completed in March 1991 and wave two was completed in November 1991 in the ten days immediately following Magic Johnson's announcement that he had tested positive for HIV. The hypothesis was not supported. The initial knowledge gap found in wave one between high- and low-educated individuals remained relatively constant in wave two. However, lower educated individuals did increase their knowledge of HIV dramatically as a proportion of the knowledge held by better educated groups. Thus, all individuals moved from fairly low knowledge levels equally to higher levels, but the knowledge gap narrowed as a proportion of the difference between high and low education groups.