(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-11-14 11:42

Despite holding onto stigma, people understand all segments of the population are at risk to contract HIV.

Three in five (60 percent) global respondents recognize " responsible" people can contract HIV, yet more than one-quarter believe you can only get the disease from "sinful" behavior.

Yet in Brazil, China and Mexico, 60 percent or more of people believe that acting "responsibly" will protect people from HIV infection.

Gender roles and corresponding discussions of safe sex with a partner are seen as contributors to the spread of HIV.

Seventy-three percent of people report that a problem contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS is that women find it too difficult to discuss safe sex with their partners, despite the fact that using a condom is proven to be highly effective in preventing HIV infection.

The survey was conducted during a two-week period in September 2007. Approximately 500 interviews were conducted in each of nine countries.

Adult respondents were surveyed via phone, using random digit dial techniques, and face-to-face in countries where phone access is less universal (South Africa, India, Mexico and Brazil). The survey was administered in official in-country languages.

Estimated margin of error is 4.4 percent at the 95 percent confidence level per country, 1.5 percent for the total sample.

Men in China are less likely than women to understand that AIDS is always fatal (65 percent vs. 75 percent) despite the fact that they account for nearly two-thirds of the country's known HIV infections.

The MAC AIDS Fund was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally.

To date, the fund has raised US$100 million exclusively through the sale of MAC's VIVA GLAM lipstick and lipglass, donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS.

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