Data from a recent 2008 KABP survey of over 6000 respondents in six Chinese cities targeting four main groups (white-collar workers, blue-collar workers, migrant-workers and youth) revealed:
A widespread lack of knowledge
- 88.1% of interviewees felt they were not at risk of HIV transmission
- More than 48% of respondents thought they could become infected from mosquito bites
- Over 18% believed they could become infected by being sneezed or coughed on by someone living with HIV.
- 26.3% of interviewees did not know where they could get an HIV test.
Extensive stigma and discrimination
- 30% of interviewees think HIV positive children/students should not be allowed to study at the same schools as uninfected children/students.
- 65% would be unwilling to live with an HIV-infected person
- 57.0% had never talked about AIDS-related issues with their family members, friends, classmates or colleagues.
- 31.7% of interviewees thought people with HIV/AIDS deserved their disease because of their sexual behavior or drug abuse.
Source: China AIDS Media Partnership (CHAMP) (2008), ‘AIDS-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, Behavior, and Practices: A Survey of 6 Chinese Cities’