GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS is meeting in New York on June 25-27. The conference aims to foster international funding and cooperation as the world addresses the prevention and care of HIV/AIDS. Worldwide, more than 36 million people are estimated to be living with HIV or AIDS, and more than 22 million have died from the disease.
The most recent Gallup data show that 18% of Americans name AIDS as the most urgent health problem facing the United States, slightly behind health care costs (23%) and cancer (20%). The finding in the Sept. 11-13, 2000 poll marks the first time since 1987 that AIDS has not topped the list of urgent U.S. health problems. At that time, the majority of Americans -- 68% -- named AIDS as the most urgent health problem in the United States.
As the table below demonstrates, the percentage of Americans mentioning AIDS as the "most urgent health problem" has gradually declined since 1987, and in the most recent poll, the cost of health care and cancer surpassed AIDS in frequency of mentions.
What would you say is the most urgent health problem facing this country at the present time? [Open-ended]
|
|
(C/I) |
(CA) |
(AI) |
(HD) |
(A/D) |
(SM) |
(M/H) |
OTH |
DK |
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2000 Sep 11-13 |
23 |
20 |
18 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
-- |
26 |
7 |
|
1999 Feb 8-9 |
13 |
23 |
34 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
22 |
6 |
|
1997 Oct 3-5 |
15 |
15 |
29 |
3 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
24 |
5 |
|
1992 Mar 26-29 |
30 |
5 |
41 |
2 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
18 |
4 |
|
1991 Nov 14-17 |
21 |
6 |
55 |
2 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
13 |
3 |
|
1991 May 2-5 |
12 |
16 |
45 |
2 |
4 |
* |
2 |
13 |
4 |
|
1987 Oct 23-26 |
1 |
14 |
68 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KEY: (AI) AIDS; (CA) Cancer; (C/I) Health care costs/Insurance; (HD) Heart disease; (SM) Smoking; (M/H) Malnutrition/hunger; (A/D) Alcohol/Drug abuse; (OTH) Other; (DK) No opinion |
|||||||||
Among American Youth, AIDS Second-Most-Urgent Health Problem
In a Gallup youth poll from May of this year, 14% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 17 said that AIDS is the most urgent health problem facing the United States today. AIDS ranks second behind cancer, which was named by 16% of American youth. Other health problems cited include obesity (10%), health problems caused by tobacco (6%), and heart disease (4%).
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,008 adults, 18 years and older, conducted September 11-13, 2000. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Results of the youth survey are based on interviews with 501 American youth, aged 13-17, conducted May 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 5 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
