Public attitudes towards HIV

A new Ipsos survey for the National AIDS Trust (NAT) explores public understanding of HIV transmission, the realities of HIV in the UK today, and attitudes towards people with HIV.

One in five British adults do not realise HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sex between a man and a woman.

An Ipsos survey for the National AIDS Trust (NAT) reveals that 20% of the public do not identify sex without a condom between a man and a woman as a way in which HIV can be passed from person to person, when shown a list of possible routes. The survey explores public understanding of HIV transmission, the realities of HIV in the UK today, and attitudes towards people with HIV.

Key findings include:
  • Four fifths (80%) of British adults are aware that HIV can be transmitted through sex without a condom between a man and a woman
  • The same figure (80%) are aware that HIV can be transmitted through sex without a condom between two men
  • Less than half (45%) of adults are aware that HIV can be transmitted by sharing needles or syringes
  • One in ten (10%) incorrectly believe HIV can be transmitted through spitting, and 9% believe it can be transmitted through kissing someone
  • More than one in ten (12%) adults don’t think they know enough about how to prevent HIV transmission during sex
  • One in ten (11%) adults don’t have much sympathy for people with HIV. This rises to 30% who don’t have much sympathy for people with HIV if they were infected through unprotected sex, and 46% who don’t have much sympathy if they were infected through injecting drugs
  • Three quarters (74%) believe people with HIV deserve the same level of support and respect as people with cancer
  • Approaching two-fifths (38%) believe their employer should tell them if one if their work colleagues is HIV positive
  • The majority (85%) of adults believe all young people should be taught about HIV at secondary school (i.e. ages 11-16) to ensure they have a good understanding of the condition by the time they leave
Downloads Technical details This survey was carried out using Ipsos’s Omnibus survey. A nationally representative quota sample of 1,944 adults aged 16+ were interviewed from 5 – 11 November 2010 across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted face-to-face, in-home. Data have been weighted to the known population profile of Great Britain.

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