59% Of Americans Think It’s “Important To Be Careful” Around People With HIV, New Report Reveals
A new study released by GLAAD’s ‘State of HIV Stigma Study’, has revealed that 59% of Americans agreed with the statement that it’s “important to be careful around people living with HIV to avoid catching it”, showing stigma is still as rampant as ever in the United States.
At the same time, 88% of those surveyed agreed that people were quick to judge thole living with HIV while only half of Americans felt “knowledgeable about HIV,” but 90% believe that promoting prevention should be a high priority.
The study, which was conducted online between November and December 2019 from a national sample of 2,506 adults over the age of 18, also revealed asked about the level of comfort American’s feel in several scenarios interacting with people living with HIV. 54% of the people surveys said they would be uncomfortable with a medical professional, 49% would be uncomfortable with a spouse and 45% would be uncomfortable with their barber or hairstylist.
In a statement, GLAAD said the HIV epidemic won’t end “until we tackle the effects of stigma”.
“We partnered with Gilead Sciences to better understand how much stigma still exists and its impact on those living with HIV,” they wrote. “Despite making significant progress towards ending the epidemic, a majority of the public feels uncomfortable, uninformed, and concerned about HIV and people living with it.
“The State of HIV Stigma survey confirms that stigma and misinformation around HIV is widespread, and there is much work to be done to educate the public before we can end the epidemic once and for all.”
As ‘Gay Times’ report, the study was in partnership with Gilead Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company that specialises in making innovative medicine to combat HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and influenza, including Harvoni and Sovaldi.
Despite concerns, GLAAD said they’re “heartened by a final and important finding in the study: support for education and optimism about HIV is incredible high amongst Americans.”
You can read the study in full here.
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