GLAAD RELEASES 5th STATE OF HIV STIGMA REPORT

HOLLYWOOD FALLS SHORT AT REPRESENTING PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND GEN Z CONTINUES TO BE THE LEAST KNOWLEDGEABLE ON HIV, GLAAD’S FIFTH ANNUAL STATE OF HIV STIGMA REPORT FINDS

Knowledge of HIV is mostly stable in the U.S. and in the U.S. South over 5 years, with nearly 90% of Americans knowing something about HIV.

Seeing more stories of people living with HIV in media is key to combating HIV stigma.

New York, New York – Thursday, September 12, 2024 – GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today released the findings of its fifth annual State of HIV Stigma Report. The Report, which remains the only report of its kind to track Americans’ knowledge, attitudes and sentiment around HIV and HIV stigma.

Download the full Report HERE

Download the Digital Tool Kit HERE

GLAAD’s State of HIV Stigma report found 85% of Americans agree strongly or somewhat that stigma around HIV still exists, down from 89% in 2020, a statistically significant decline between 2020 and 2024. Additionally, our report found that the loss of HIV stories in entertainment media is a noticeable silence, likely contributing to decreases in comfortability in interacting with a neighbor or co-worker living with HIV. GLAAD research also shows that seeing stories of people living with HIV drives up the comfortability of interacting with people living with HIV by as much as +15%. This is the power of accelerating acceptance and combating HIV stigma, through visibility and representation in entertainment media.

Key Findings:

• There has been a statistically significant decrease among Americans in the belief that stigma around HIV still exists over five years, from 89% in 2020 to 85% in 2024.  (For data specific to rates of stigma experienced by people living with HIV around the globe please visit the People Living with HIV Stigma Index 2.0 here.)
• Knowledge of HIV remains stable in the U.S. and in the Southern U.S. over the last five years, with nearly 90% of Americans reporting they know at least a little about HIV, with half of Americans feeling knowledgeable.
• Gen Z continues to be among the least knowledgeable generations about HIV.  
• Only 37% of Gen Z adults are knowledgeable about HIV, on par with five years ago.  
• The following areas have seen declines over the last five years of our tracking:
• 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 across 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.
• GLAAD’s Where We Are on TV study showed only one LGBTQ character in primetime scripted broadcast, cable or streaming programming living with HIV in the most recent television 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 or film, from 39% in 2023 to 35% in 2024.
• Seeing stories of people living with HIV increases comfortability with people living with HIV in various scenarios in life by up to +15%.  

From GLAAD President & CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis:
“Even with advances in awareness and care, HIV stigma is not a thing of the past. The time is now to accelerate the education that can save lives, through sharing stories of people living with HIV. Together with game-changing HIV prevention tools like PrEP and advanced HIV treatment options, we must seize the opportunity before us to close the knowledge gap between generations. Our community’s work to eradicate HIV stigma and misinformation in media is more urgent than ever. Ending HIV and HIV stigma should be every generation’s lasting achievement.”

[Update as of 09/26/24: Additional information related to the existence of HIV stigma was added to this press release. GLAAD’s President and CEO’s original quote was revised to clarify that, while survey data that tracked to what extent Americans agree “There is still stigma around HIV” between 2020 and 2024 shows a statistically significant decline in agreement with that statement over that time, HIV stigma is in no way a thing of the past. We urge you to read the full report which includes stories from people living with HIV, as well as leading HIV advocates, about the dangers of stigma today. Learn more about HIV stigma here and visit CDC.gov for one resource on ways to help end stigma.]

GLAAD Resources and Programs

GLAAD urges journalists and creators telling stories of or reporting about HIV and people living with HIV to do their part in the fight against HIV stigma and convey the facts around the realities of living with HIV today by referring to GLAAD’s HIV storytelling section of the GLAAD Media Reference Guide: HERE

People living with HIV today, when on effective treatment, lead long and healthy lives and cannot transmit HIV. Treating HIV can suppress the virus to the point it is no longer detected. When HIV is undetectable, it is untransmittable, the key message of the U=U campaign. Nearly every mention of HIV in news articles should be paired with this fact.

In entertainment media, GLAAD’s programs like the Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI), now in its third-year cohort of Black queer creatives, bridges gaps in opportunities to create stigma-breaking content. GLAAD’s Studio Responsibility Index and Where We Are in TV studies continue to hold Hollywood accountable for a lack of stories about HIV and diverse LGBTQ people. By leaving stories that serve the public good on the table, Hollywood is missing major opportunities and evading a responsibility to represent their audiences.

In news media, GLAAD has launched two bureaus in the U.S. South that have supercharged the quality and quantity of news stories that combat HIV stigma, with over 500 original articles on topics related to HIV since our work with Gilead Sciences began – from local outlets like the Mississippi Free Press to Good Morning America and CNN – GLAAD has briefed more than 1,000 journalists across newsrooms to ensure articles about HIV are accurate.GLAAD has also engaged the world’s most notable talent, including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, JAY-Z  and more, to speak out about U=U and HIV, but much more is needed.

GLAAD’s State of HIV Stigma report was created in partnership with Gilead Sciences and the Gilead COMPASS Initiative® and produced by GLAAD’s Communities of Color Department, a division of the GLAAD Media Institute, GLAAD’s training, research and consulting division of the organization. GLAAD’s Communities of Color Department is a leading force, driving equitable and accurate representation of Black LGBTQ people, people living with HIV (PLWH), and queer Communities of Color in the realm of entertainment and media. GLAAD and Gilead Sciences have been partners since 2019 in this important work to reduce HIV stigma, and understand comfortability, media exposure, and trends related to HIV stigma

Download the full Report HERE

Download the Digital Tool Kit HERE

Methodology:

The 2024 State of HIV Stigma Report was conducted through an online survey in January 2024 among a sample of 2,511 U.S. adults 18+. The sample was sourced and aggregated through CINT, who has the world’s largest consumer network for digital survey-based research. 

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About the GLAAD Media Institute: The GLAAD Media Institute provides training, consultation, and actionable research to develop an army of social justice ambassadors for all marginalized communities to champion acceptance and amplify media impact. Earlier version of this report, along with GLAAD’s research library can be found at GLAAD.org/Publications. 

About Gilead Sciences: Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.