Information Inequalities and Public Policy (2024-2025)

This project team examined the scope, causes and policy implications of information inequalities in both domestic and global contexts. Information inequalities are disparities in the structure, accessibility, output and consumption of information that can deepen structural inequities, contributing to institutional racism, socioeconomic divides and political polarization. The team sought to develop a descriptive framework to classify these inequalities by their causes, impacts and the types of policy interventions applied to date, with the goal of informing more effective policymaking.

Team members conducted literature reviews, policy analyses and a field experiment to investigate specific high-priority information inequalities, including digital access gaps, disinformation and disparities in news production. Small subteams worked closely with partner organizations to collect and analyze primary data, critique existing interventions and identify opportunities for improvement. The field experiment measured how regular exposure to curated news content affected participants’ information consumption and knowledge retention, offering insights into how media delivery can influence learning.

The team’s 10 research projects provided a multi-pronged view of how information inequalities operate and overlap. By combining cross-national comparisons with in-depth national case studies, members developed proposals for alternative policy solutions and identified intervention points for reducing disparities in the information ecosystem. The findings contribute to a growing body of research on how public policy can address the structural drivers of information inequality, with the team aiming to build on this work in future studies.

Timing

Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

Team Outputs

Inventory of information inequalities

Proposals for alternative policy interventions

Information Inequalities: Cross-Sectional Investigation of Misinformation, Media Literacy, and Polarization in the Age of AI (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 16, 2025)

See earlier related team, Social Provision of Information for Effective Democratic Citizens (2022-2023).