The distribution of knowledge in society tends to parallel the distribution of other social and economic resources. Currently four major socioeconomic trends point not only to widened knowledge gaps in the future but also to greater divisions between higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups. First, a long-term trend toward a more educated population appears to be reversing, as evidence suggests a decline in the availability and quality of education opportunities. Second, changes in occupational structure, urban ecology, and the structure of the national economy have made it more difficult for lower SES groups to qualify for many information and industrial jobs. Third, families in higher SES groups are much more likely to increase their socioeconomic resources than are families in lower SES groups as women continue to enter the labor force. And fourth, the acquisition and use of the new computer-based mass media are most likely to occur among higher SES groups, creating an unequal distribution of information-seeking resources. These socioeconomic trends raise many questions in the areas of equity; meeting the needs of a large, relatively immobile, poorly educated and low-skilled population; increasing socioeconomic disparities; and mismatches between distributions of blue-collar jobs and residences of blue-collar workers. (HOD)