Differences between blood donors and nondonors in AIDS-related attitudes.

Subjects self-identified as occasional blood donors or nondonors completed a survey to estimate differences in attitudes about donating blood. Subjects who had never donated blood were more likely than occasional donors to doubt that the blood supply was free of the AIDS virus, more likely to worry about contracting AIDS through blood transfusions or blood donations, and more likely to have an aversion to venipuncture procedures. No differences were observed between groups on fear of having an AIDS test, current worry about having the AIDS virus, or belief that AIDS can be contracted from transfused blood. Implications for increasing blood donations during the AIDS crisis are discussed.