Purpose: This study aimed to synthesize qualitative evidence and develop an interpretive framework of its antecedents, consequences, and coping strategies.
Method: An interpretive qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted. Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for “information poverty.” Of 174 records identified, 17 studies published between 2011 and 2026 were included after deduplication, screening, and full-text assessment. Themes were organized using Attride-Stirling’s three-level structure.
Findings: Six antecedent themes emerged: “Sociocultural barriers to information interactions,” “Inadequate responsiveness and appropriateness of information services,” “Limited resources and opportunities for information access,” “Deficiencies in information quality,” “Barriers to reading, understanding, seeking, and accepting information,” and “Control over information circulation and selection.” Five consequence themes were identified: “Withdrawal and secrecy,” “Unmet information needs and difficulties in understanding and evaluating information,” “Participation and reliance on others,” “Unpleasant emotional experiences and tensions,” and “Limited benefits from information in livelihoods, education, and work.” Six coping themes emerged: “Social capital and information intermediaries,” “Facilitating information access, understanding, and sharing,” “Expanding resources and learning opportunities,” “Source selection and adaptive decision-making,” “Safe help-seeking and pursuing rights and services,” and “Responsibility for information sharing and broader information access.”
Conclusion: Information poverty reflects interactions among individual capacities, social relationships, information quality and accessibility, infrastructure, and institutional practices. Reducing it requires simultaneous attention to individual empowerment, information quality and comprehensibility, supportive relationships, responsive services, and structural barriers to access.