The theoretical framework for our research is the theory of
information poverty (Chatman 1996), which provides an
account of the information world of poor people in various
communities. Chatman considers information behaviour of
janitors, retired women and employment scheme women,
drawing on the sociological concept of insider/outsider and
building on her earlier work on economically poor groups
and information (Chatman 1991, 1992). Information poverty
is built around four concepts: secrecy, deception, risktaking
and relevance. Six propositions related to these concepts
are specified in order to describe an impoverished
information world (Chatman 1996: 197-198):
1. People defined as information poor perceive themselves
as devoid of any sources that might help.
2. Information poverty is partially associated with
class distinction – it is influenced by outsiders who
withhold access to privileged information.
3. Information poverty is determined by selfprotective
behaviors used in response to social norms.
4. Both secrecy and deception are self-protecting
mechanisms due to mistrust regarding the interest or
ability of others to provide useful information.
5. A decision to risk exposure about our true problems
is often not taken due to a perception that negative
consequences outweigh benefits.
6. New knowledge will be selectively introduced, and
this process is influenced by the relevance of that information
to everyday problems and concerns.