While Gen Z may be the “most out generation in history,” according to GLAAD, they’re lacking when it comes to their knowledge and understanding of HIV.
The alarming finding was revealed Thursday, Aug. 20 as part of GLAAD’s annual State of HIV Stigma Report, which breaks down how Americans get their information about HIV prevention and treatment, amid a constantly changing media landscape.
Overall, the study found that while there continue to be “game-changing scientific advancements” in both treating and preventing HIV, there’s a “widening gap” between that progress and “awareness of these advances that can save lives and prevent new diagnoses.”
Per GLAAD, only 31% of Gen Z reportedly feel knowledgeable about HIV, compared to 60% of Gen X adults, and 49% of Millennials and Boomers. That 31% stat is also down 7% from the same report in 2020, when 38% of Gen Zs surveyed said they felt informed.
As the advocacy group points out, Gen Z is “least likely to have a personal connection to someone living with HIV,” compared to older generations who lived through the HIV and AIDS crisis. Depictions of those living with HIV on TV and film have also dried up, leaving visibility at an all time low.
“Without those personal connections, many Gen Z adults are left to learn about HIV through media, social platforms, search tools, and AI, if they are introduced to the topic at all,” noted GLAAD.
Another disappointing finding in the report is the stat that 44% of Americans disagree with the completely factual statement that U=U, or Undetectable equals Untransmittable. Thanks to treatment and testing, HIV can be suppressed to a point where it’s not detected or sexually transmittable.
“44% of Americans disagree with the statement that a person living with HIV who gets and keeps an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to sexual partners,” said GLAAD, “revealing a significant gap between scientific reality and accurate public perception.”
GLAAD pointed to the current media landscape as part of the reason behind both these distressing trends. Per the study, stories about HIV are simply not being told.
The findings point out the incredibly low number of podcasts or social media posts mentioning HIV or those living with it in the past year. That invisibility only helps HIV stigma continue, without being questioned, as “social media personalities and non-medical voices are increasingly shaping how people understand health, often without the expertise to do so accurately.”
Another chart from the study shows that the overall comfort level when interacting with people living with HIV has declined “across all areas of daily life” over the past year as well. For example, while 61% of those surveyed said they felt comfortable interacting with someone living with HIV at church, only 46% said the same about living with a partner who has HIV. Those numbers were down 7% and 5%, respectively, year over year.
The declines come at a time where distrust in science is running rampant with the general public, something GLAAD hopes to combat going forward.
In a call to action, the organization urged “public health institutions, medical professionals, creatives, and community organizations” to “expand HIV education efforts across digital platforms, including social media, online video, podcasts, and emerging AI-driven tools.”
At a time when visibility is key, GLAAD said “clear, consistent, and culturally relevant messaging must be present across these platforms to close knowledge gaps, increase understanding, and interrupt stigma.”
If this doesn’t happen, the numbers could only get worse—despite actual scientific and medical progress.
