Abstract:
This experimental study tested the knowledge gap hypothesis at the intersection of
audience education levels and news formats (newspaper versus online). The findings
reveal a gap in public affairs knowledge acquisition between South Korean citizens
(N = 123) from different educational backgrounds. Moreover, the high education group
comprehended news with the same level of efficiency across online and newspaper
formats while low education participants gained more knowledge from reading a
newspaper than using an online news source. Taken together, this study’s findings confirm
the knowledge gap hypothesis through experimental research and offer evidence of its
potential contribution to the digital divide.
