Gaps in Americans' knowledge about the Bosnian civil war

This study applies the knowledge gap theory to the American public's knowle dge of the Bosnian civil war between September 1992-when the conflict was i n its early days-through June 1995. Our goal was to determine if a knowledg e gap existed in the case of the Bosnian civil war, and if so, whether it i ncreased or decreased over time. Times Mirror Center polls clearly establis h that the better educated knew more about Bosnia from September 1992 throu gh June 1995. But people from all educational levels showed dramatic improv ements in knowledge. The so-called knowledge gap declined rather than incre ased. Our surprising results may be due to the changing context and duratio n of the conflict. Attention to the Bosnia crisis increased over these 3 ye ars, with people from all backgrounds more motivated to pay attention. In a ddition, the nightly network news provided frequent coverage of Bosnia. Thu s, all segments of the American public learned more about the crisis.