Selective media exposure and increasing gaps in political knowledge: The case of Switzerland.

This study aims at contributing to the discussion on how the growing opportunities for media choice influence gaps in political knowledge among those motivated to consume news and those who are not. With more outlets available, it becomes easier to choose outlets meeting personal interests. While several studies have analysed trends in news consumption among different citizen groups, there are still very few studies that actually link these developments longitudinally to patterns of political learning and knowledge gaps. Using survey data from Swiss referendums held 1993-1999, we focus on a basic yet democratically crucial type of political knowledge: awareness of what the upcoming referendums are about. We study (1) whether political interest over time has become a stronger predictor of news consumption and political knowledge and (2) how gaps in political knowledge have developed over time. In a concluding section, we discuss the broader democratic implications of our findings.