Fear of AIDS declining, poll finds

Mon., July 26, 2004

Will Lester Associated Press

at a glance

Attitudes on AIDS

The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,002 adults was taken July 19-21 and has an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

SPENDING PRIORITIES: Adults over age 65 were more likely to say Alzheimer's disease should be a top priority. Young adults were more likely to say AIDS than those 50 and over. Minorities were three times as likely as whites to say AIDS should be a top priority. People on the West coast were more likely to say AIDS than those in other regions.

ABSTINENCE VS. SAFE SEX: Older adults were more likely to favor abstinence as a way to reduce AIDS. Those on the West coast were more likely than people in other regions to favor teaching safe sex. Democrats were twice as likely as Republicans to favor teaching safe sex. Those who make more than $75,000 a year favored the teaching of safe sex.

WASHINGTON – More than half of Americans are worried their children might become infected with the virus that causes AIDS, even though fewer people believe the overall threat is very serious, an Associated Press poll found.

That decline in fear of AIDS comes at a time when the disease is showing signs of making a comeback in this country.

About 61 percent said they feel AIDS is a “very serious” problem, according to the poll conducted for the Associated Press by Ipsos-Public Affairs. When people were asked in 1987 how serious AIDS was as a national health problem, almost nine in 10 said it was “very serious.”

Only two in 10 polled said they were concerned they would personally be infected with HIV, but more than half, 51 percent, said they were worried that a son or daughter could be infected.

More than six in 10 of those with children said they were concerned that a child might be affected. Even four in 10 of those with no children acknowledged fears about the possibility of a child being infected if they had one.

A majority in the poll, 55 percent, said teaching safe sex should be the focus of efforts to prevent AIDS, rather than promoting abstinence, backed by 40 percent.

Americans say they support the $15 billion the United States has pledged to help fight AIDS in developing countries overseas. But when asked whether the money should go abroad or be used to fight the epidemic at home, they chose keeping the money here by a 2-1 margin.

The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,002 adults was taken July 19-21 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Fear of AIDS declining, poll finds

Drug companies line up to make deals with Trump after initial hesitation

The Coca-Cola Santa Claus: Who created St. Nick as we know him today?

U.S. strikes Islamic State targets in Syria