Gerbert B, Bleecker T
Division of Behavioral Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco 94105.
J Community Health. 1993 Dec;18(6):335-46. doi: 10.1007/BF01323965.
To determine public opinion about the importance of AIDS as a social and policy issue, we conducted a telephone survey of a nationwide random probability sample of adults in the United States, summer 1991. Thirteen hundred and fifty adults completed the survey. The response rate was 63%. We found that 93% of respondents believe that AIDS is a crisis, and 90% believe that AIDS in the US is out of control. In addition, most people reported believing that the government should spend as much as necessary to solve the AIDS epidemic and that AIDS is a problem for everyone in society, not just those who have the disease. Respondents who had a personal connection to the AIDS epidemic (e.g., knew someone infected with HIV) and those who did not have such a connection equally believe that AIDS is an important social and political issue. In conclusion, we found that AIDS is being accorded great importance by the majority of the US public, regardless of demographic group membership and individual personal connection to the epidemic. However, AIDS scientists must be mindful of potential shifts in public opinion when considering strategies to disseminate research findings.
为了确定公众对于艾滋病作为一个社会和政策问题的重要性的看法，我们于1991年夏天在美国全国范围内对成年人进行了一次随机概率抽样电话调查。1350名成年人完成了调查。回复率为63%。我们发现，93%的受访者认为艾滋病是一场危机，90%的人认为美国的艾滋病疫情失控。此外，大多数人表示认为政府应该不惜一切代价来解决艾滋病疫情，并且艾滋病是全社会每个人的问题，而不仅仅是那些患病的人。与艾滋病疫情有个人关联的受访者（例如，认识感染艾滋病毒的人）和没有这种关联的受访者同样认为艾滋病是一个重要的社会和政治问题。总之，我们发现，无论人口群体归属以及个人与疫情的关联如何，美国大多数公众都极为重视艾滋病。然而，艾滋病科学家在考虑传播研究结果的策略时，必须留意公众舆论可能发生的变化。
