Inequalities in Scientific Understanding: Differentiating Between Factual and Perceived Knowledge Gaps
Abstract
This study assesses two key types of knowledge assessments, factual and perceived knowledge, in the study of knowledge gaps. In addition, we distinguish between communication channels in exploring the phenomenon, examining nanotechnology knowledge gaps based on levels of attention to traditional media, science blog use, and the frequency of interpersonal discussion. Using regression analysis, we find that how researchers measure knowledge can significantly affect the discovery of gaps. We also find differential effects based on communication channels, including evidence that the direction of perceived gaps in knowledge can be reversed as media consumption increases. Implications of these findings are discussed.
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Biographies
Leona Yi-Fan Su is a graduate student in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research interests focus on the interplay between science, media, and the public; public understanding of emerging science; and technologies and science policy.
Michael A. Cacciatore is an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Georgia. His research interests focus on risk communication with an emphasis on media coverage of risk and opinion formation for risk topics, and attitudes toward new technologies, including nanotechnology and alternative energies.
Dietram A. Scheufele is the John E. Ross professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His work focuses on public opinion, political communication, and public attitudes toward new technologies, including nanotechnology, stem cell research, and genetically modified organisms.
Dominique Brossard is a professor and chair in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a faculty affiliate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Robert and Jean Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies. Her research broadly focuses on the intersection between science, media, and the public and on the understanding of public opinion dynamics in the context of controversial science.
Michael A. Xenos is an associate professor and Department Chair in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has research interests in political communication, science communication, democratic deliberation, public opinion, and civic engagement.
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Article first published online: May 15, 2014
Issue published: June 2014
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Published online: May 15, 2014
Issue published: June 2014
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