Many Americans still misunderstand HIV, new GLAAD survey finds

Medical advances have dramatically changed HIV prevention and treatment, but many Americans may still be relying on an outdated understanding of the virus.

New findings from GLAAD’s biannual HIV Stigma Report point to a broad information gap, particularly among younger adults. The organization is calling for more current and realistic conversations about HIV in both public health education and entertainment.

The generational divide is notable. Sixty percent of Generation X respondents said they felt knowledgeable about HIV, compared with only 31% of Generation Z.

Jerrell Hardnett, associate director of education and advocacy for GLAAD, said having more access to information does not necessarily mean people understand the subject.

“Generation Z has information everywhere but does lack knowledge. They lack a lot understanding of what’s actually happening, and it can be argued to say that they have the most resources to them today, and yet they feel as if they are not well-informed,” Hardnett told Public News Service.

The survey also examined how often Americans encounter people living with HIV in popular culture. Seventy percent said they had not seen a television program or film featuring someone living with HIV in the previous year.

That absence, advocates argue, leaves too much room for old stereotypes to remain part of the public conversation.

Hardnett said entertainment has not kept pace with the reality of life with HIV, particularly as modern treatment allows people to maintain careers, relationships and families.

“We are not doing stories that are reflective of people living with HIV today who are going to work every day, having sexual intimacy, having families, having mothers who are living with HIV and their children are negative. We don’t have stories that are portraying these real live people,” Hardnett said.

The findings matter beyond representation. Stigma and misinformation can influence whether people feel comfortable discussing HIV, getting tested or seeking medical care.

Modern medicine has also fundamentally changed HIV prevention. People who take effective treatment and maintain an undetectable viral load do not sexually transmit HIV, while preventive medications can significantly reduce the risk of acquiring the virus.

Even with those advances, public awareness remains uneven.

Hardnett said there is still a sizable portion of the population that could be reached with clearer, more accurate information about HIV.

“We have 86 million movable middle audience (members) who we can have conversations with. These are people who can be moved and persuaded into moving more towards allies than resisters,” Hardnett said.

The study suggests the challenge is not simply getting more HIV information in front of Americans. It is making sure that information reflects the current science and the lives of people living with HIV.

For health educators and advocates, that means challenging misconceptions, making prevention information easier to understand and encouraging media organizations to portray HIV beyond the stereotypes associated with the earliest years of the epidemic.

According to Public News Service, the gap identified by GLAAD also highlights a broader problem in public health: scientific progress does not automatically translate into public knowledge. As HIV treatment and prevention continue to evolve, advocates say the way Americans learn about the virus needs to evolve with them.