2024 State of HIV Stigma Report

Key Findings

GLAAD’s 2024 State of HIV Stigma report – now in its fifth year – tracks progress against HIV stigma, transmission and prevention of HIV, as well as understanding attitudes, knowledge, and comfortability of people living with HIV in the United States. The focus of the report this year is a five year look back at how key pillars have changed over time, to understand progress that has been made towards eradicating HIV Stigma, and work that still needs to be done. There is a focus this year on trends in the Total U.S., and on the Southern U.S. as well.

Highlights in the report:

There has been a significant decrease in the belief that stigma around HIV still exists over 5 years, from 89% in 2020 to 85% in 2024.
Knowledge of HIV is mostly stable in the U.S. and in the Southern U.S. over 5 years, with nearly 90% of Americans knowing at least a little about HIV, and half feeling knowledgeable.
Gen Z continues to be among the least knowledgeable generations about HIV. Only 37% of Gen Z adults are knowledgeable about HIV, which is on par with five years ago.
Our Where We Are on TV study shows that only one LGBTQ character living with HIV was portrayed in primetime scripted television during the most recent season, and is not expected to return. There has also been a significant decrease year over year in Americans seeing people living with HIV in TV shows and/or movies, from 39% in 2023 to 35% in 2024.
GLAAD and Gilead’s work is not done, as there are some metrics where we’ve seen declines over five years: We’ve seen a significant decrease in the belief that everyone should get tested for HIV, from 77% in 2020 to 67% in 2024. This decline is seen in all regions of the country.
And we’ve seen a significant decrease in the belief that people living with HIV can live long, healthy lives, from 90% in 2020 to 85% in 2024. The Southern U.S. is the only region to see a significant decline here as well.
Seeing stories of people living with HIV drives up comfortability interacting with people living with HIV in various scenarios in life by up to +15%.

View Past Years’ Reports

MEASURE THE MOVEMENT

Your gift allows us to track the impact of our work, helping us better understand the state of awareness and address the gaps of HIV stigma — like pushing for more information out that medications prevent and treat HIV.

Support Our Program

More Publications from GLAAD

Asian Pacific Islander Resource Kit

The media are covering the lives, stories, and issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people more frequently, and often in a more fair, accurate, and balanced manner. Repeatedly, however, Asian Pacific Islander Community LGBT voices, perspectives, and opinions are left out of the picture.

Communities of African Descent Resource Kit

The media are covering the lives, stories, and issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people more frequently, and often in a more fair, accurate, and balanced manner. Repeatedly, however, black LGBT voices, perspectives, and opinions are left out of the picture.

Sweeps Week Resource Kit

Community organizations play a vital role in responding to sensational sweeps coverage with their own anti-defamation campaigns. With this Sweeps Weeks Toolkit, GLAAD encourages community members to contact stations that air sensational coverage about the LGBT community and tell them how such stories spread inaccurate or defamatory myths about us.

Immigration Inequality Resource Kit

Following the reintroduction of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) in Congress on May 8, GLAAD calls on journalists to explore the real life consequences of discriminatory immigration policies on LGBT- and HIV-positive people and their families.

Join GLAAD and take action for acceptance.

What's Hot