AIDS in America Charles H. Russell AIDS in America Springer-Verlag New York Berlin Heidelberg London Paris Tokyo Hong Kong Barcelona Charles H. Russell Gerontology Associates Bethlehem, CT 06751 USA Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Russell, Charles H. AIDS in America / Charles H. Russell. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 97S-1-4612-7797-2 e-ISBN-13 :97S-1-46U-3100-4 DOl: 1O.1007/97S-1-46U-3100-4 1. AIDS (Disease)-United States. 2. AIDS (Disease)-United States-Public opinion. I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - epidemiology - United States-tables. 2. Attitude to Health. 3. Public Opinion. 4. Socioeconomic Factors. WD 30S R961aj RA644.A25RS7 1991 362.1 '9697'9200973 - dc20 DNLMIDLC for Library of Congress 91-4S13 Printed on acid-free paper. © 1991 by Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1991 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc., in this publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone. Camera-ready copy provided by the author. 9 S 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN-13:97S-1-46U-7797-2 Contents Introduction 1 Structure and Content of the Report . . 2 Brief Summary of Findings 2 Reading the Tables . . . . . 3 Understanding the Statistics 4 Technical Information . . . 4 Section I Characteristics of Persons Who Have Known Individuals with AIDS 7 Age .. 9 Gender 10 Race . 11 Ethnicity 12 Size of Place 13 Marital Status. . . . 14 Number of Children 15 Working Status . . . 16 Income Distribution 17 Type of Dwelling. . 18 Ownership or Rental of Dwelling . . . . . . . . 19 Educational Level . 20 Degree Status. . . . 21 Score on Word Test 22 Religious Preference 23 Protestant Denomination . 24 Frequency of Church Attendance 25 Political Party Identification 26 Happiness .... 27 Marital Happiness . . . . . 28 Excitement in Life . . . . . 29 Feelings about Helpfulness of Others 30 Feelings about Fairness of Others . 31 Feelings of Trust for Others . . 32 Family Life Satisfaction . . . . 33 Frequency of Family Problems 34 Self-assessed Health . . . . . 35 Health Satisfaction . . . . . . . 36 Frequency of Hospitalization . 37 Feelings about the Situation of the Average Man 38 Feelings about the Future of Children . . . . . . 39 Attitude about Official Interest in the Problems of the Average Man. 40 Satisfaction with Personal Financial Situation 41 Feelings about Public School Sex Education 42 Attitudes about Premarital Sex. . . . . . 43 Attitudes about Teenage Sexual Activity 44 Attitudes about Extra-marital Sex 45 Attitudes about Homosexuality ..... 46 Information about Pornography . . . . . 47 Attitude about Pornography Providing an Outlet for Sexual Impulses 48 Effect of Pornography in Promoting Rape. . . . . 49 Attitude about Impact of Pornography on Morals 50 Attitude about the Legal Status of Pornography. 51 Incidence of Viewing X-rated Movie ...... . 52 vLi __________________________________________________________________________________________________- ---- Type of Relationship to AIDS Acquaintances. . 53 Survival Status of Person(s) Known with AIDS. 54 Age of Persons Known with AIDS .. 55 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS 56 Race of Persons Known with AIDS 57 Number of Sex Partners . . . . . . . . 58 Gender of Sex Partners. . . . . . . . . 59 Prohibiting Persons with AIDS from Attending Public Schools 60 Developing Government AIDS Information Program to Promote Safe Sex Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 62 Government Payment for Health Care of AIDS Victims . . . . . . . . 63 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 64 Mandatory Testing for AIDS before Marriage .......... 65 Requiring Persons with AIDS Virus to Wear Identification Tags 66 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . 67 Section II Age and Responses to Questions about AIDS 69 Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . 71 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS 71 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS . 72 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ...... 72 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . 73 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School . 73 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex . 74 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 74 Having the Government Pay All of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. 75 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ...... 75 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 76 Requiring People with AIDS Virus to Wear Identification Tags 76 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------_________________ vii Section III Gender and Responses to Questions about AIDS 79 Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . 81 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS 81 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS . 82 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ...... 82 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . 83 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School. 83 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex . 84 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 84 Having the Government Pay All of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. 85 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ...... 85 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 86 Requiring People with AIDS Virus to Wear Identification Tags 86 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . 87 Section IV Race and Response to AIDS Questions 89 Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . 91 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS 91 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS . 92 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ...... 92 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . 93 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School 93 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex . 94 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 94 Having the Government Pay All of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. 95 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ...... 95 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 96 Requiring People with AIDS' Virus to Wear Identification Tags 96 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 viii _________________________________________________ Section V Number of Persons Known with AIDS and Responses to AIDS Questions 99 Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . 101 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS 101 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS . 102 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ..... . 102 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . 103 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School 103 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex . 104 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 104 Having the Government Pay AIl of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. 105 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ..... . 105 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 106 Requiring People with AIDS Virus to Wear Identification Tags 106 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Section VI Region and Response to AIDS Questions 109 Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . 111 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS 111 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS . 112 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ..... . 112 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . 113 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School . 113 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex . 114 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 114 Having the Government Pay All of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. 115 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ..... . 115 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 116 Requiring People with AIDS Virus to Wear Identifi~ation Tags 116 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 ------------------------------_____________________________________________________________________ ix 119 Section VII Income and Response to AIDS Questions Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . . . . . 121 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS 121 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS . 122 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ..... . 122 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . 123 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School 123 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex . 124 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 124 Having the Government Pay All of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. 125 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ...... . 125 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools . 126 Requiring People with AIDS Virus to Wear Identification Tags 126 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Section VIII Education and Response to AIDS Questions 129 Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . 131 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS 131 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS . 132 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ..... . 132 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . 133 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School 133 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex . 134 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus . 134 Having the Government Pay All of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. 135 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ..... . 135 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 136 Requiring People with AIDS Virus to Wear Identification Tags 136 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 x ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Section IX Religion and Response for AIDS Questions 139 Relationship to Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Survival Status of Persons Known with AIDS ....... ....... 141 Gender of Persons Known with AIDS. . 142 Age of Persons Known with AIDS ............. ..... 142 Race of Persons Known with AIDS . . . . . . . . . . . .. ..... 143 Prohibiting Students with AIDS Virus from Attending Public School . 143 Developing a Government Information Program to Promote Safe Sex. 144 Permitting Insurance Companies to Test Applicants for AIDS Virus. . 144 Having the Government Pay All of the Health Care Costs of AIDS Patients. . 145 Conducting Mandatory Testing for AIDS Virus before Marriage ......... 145 Teaching of Safe Sex Practices in Sex Education Courses in Public Schools 146 Requiring People with AIDS Virus to Wear Identification Tags . 146 Making AIDS Victims Eligible for Disability Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~