A new survey on male sex in the United States is considered the most thorough since The Kinsey Report in 1948, which has caused a stir in the United States because it shows that homosexuality is more common in the population than commonlybelived.
According to Kinsey and gay support groups, the population is nearly gay;
The national male survey found that only the respondents considered themselves gay (see This Week).
However, new estimates of the size of the gay population should not be so surprising.
If Americans are very familiar with European work, they will know that similar reports have been reported in British and French surveys over the past year.
The real news of the survey is a puzzling picture that depicts how often men use condoms because they know the prevalence of HIV and the risk of developing AIDS.
The survey was conducted for men aged 20 to 39.
At first glance, the information that condom use can reduce the risk of HIV infection seems to have been well understood.
In groups where condom is easier to use, there are men who do not live with ordinary partners, men with multiple spouses, young people, men with anal sex, bisexual and gay men, and people who know AIDS patients.
This model is very reasonable-people at greater risk of HIV infection are more likely to use condoms.
However, when existing data on the possibility of HIV infection are compared with the actual use of condoms, there is a less coherent situation.
A man was asked: "If a man only has sex with a woman with AIDS or HIV once, and if they do not use any contraceptive measures, how likely is he to have AIDS? ’ Seventy-
One percentage of all respondents indicated a risk of 50 or more.
When asked about a homosexual act, 82 people thought the risk of HIV infection was 50 or higher.
These estimates greatly exaggerate the risk: the real likelihood of a one-time exposure to HIV is low-recent estimates suggest that it may be less than 1 time in 1000-or 0 years. 1 per cent.
Given these alarming overestimates of the risk of HIV infection, how can we count how often men use the economy?
According to the survey, 61 of the single men who had sex in the past four weeks said they had not used condoms, although most of them believe that the possibility of having sex with people living with HIV is more dangerous, Russian roulette
Only when most Americans believe that despite the high transmission rate of HIV, they themselves have the opportunity to meet people living with HIV --
Positive energy is extremely low.
There is some evidence in the investigation that people believe this.
If so, it shows that the AIDS campaign has misled the public about the real risks of HIV infection and should change their focus.
What is needed now is a more detailed study of how people perceive the risk of HIV infection, as well as more data on adolescents who know little about the behavior and response of public movements.
Although the average age of the first heterosexual experience was 17 years for white men and 15 years for black American men, during the administration of President Ronald Reagan and George Bush, attempts to collect comprehensive data on teen condom use have been repeatedly blocked.
Now, there is a Democrat in the White House, and it should not be too much of a problem to overcome conservative opposition to the teen sex investigation.
Work should start as soon as possible.