A few days before the Sidaction 2023 weekend (March 24, 25 and 26), the association publishes the results of a survey carried out each year by Ifop among 15-24 year olds.
Ifop survey for Sidaction carried out by self-administered online questionnaire from February 9 to 15, 2023 among 1063 people, representative of the French population aged 15 to 24.
While the effects of the health crisis on young people’s feeling of being informed are diminishing, received ideas about HIV/AIDS are becoming entrenched and are not disappearing. Faced with this observation, Sidaction calls for the intensification of awareness campaigns and the effective application of the 3 compulsory annual sexuality education sessions at school.
In 2023, one in four young people surveyed believe they are poorly informed about HIV/AIDS, an alarming increase of 22 points compared to 2009. “The results of this survey still worry us as much. Even if we note an improvement in the feeling of information among young people and return to a pre-pandemic situation, certain figures remain alarming. We need to step up awareness and prevention efforts with this age group so that young people have the information they need for a fulfilling and risk-free sexual and emotional life,” says Florence Thune, CEO of Sidaction.
For example, only 28% of respondents said they had had recourse to a screening test at least once during the year. A figure that is still too low, although up by 8 points compared to 2022. 43% of 15-24 year olds are unaware of the existence of emergency treatment if a risk has been taken in the face of HIV. “And 65% of them don’t know where to go to get tested. There are still serious gaps to be filled. continues Florence Thune.
As for received ideas and false information related to HIV/AIDS, they persist among young people: 23% think that taking the morning after pill is effective in preventing the transmission of HIV (compared to 10% in 2015) and 18% are convinced that taking a paracetamol tablet prevents transmission of the virus.
« Even if an HIV-positive person under treatment no longer transmits HIV, a message often hammered home by associations fighting against AIDS, young people still believe that the AIDS virus can be transmitted by having sexual intercourse with an HIV-positive person under treatment ( 53%) or by kissing an HIV-positive person (17%). Awareness on this subject must be intensified in order to combat the discrimination suffered by people living with HIV. » analyse Florence Thune.
On the other hand, the trivialization of the question of HIV/AIDS is confirmed. 37% of 15-24 year olds think that they are less likely than others to be infected with the AIDS virus (+8 points compared to 2022): “43% think that contamination is decreasing among young people while n France, of the 5,000 people discovering their HIV status each year, 15% are under 25 years old. These figures are worrying at a time when the reality on the ground proves the opposite” observes Frédéric Dabi, general manager of the IFOP.
« Awareness and prevention in sexual health must start in school contexts and relayed by public health campaigns at the national level concludes Florence Thune. According to the survey, two-thirds of young people say they have never benefited from the 3 annual sex education sessions during their schooling, despite the law requiring it since 2001.
To fight against HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness among young people, an intensification of prevention in educational structures constitutes a central lever for action. It is particularly urgent that received ideas about the transmission of the AIDS virus be combated in order to deal with the discrimination that people living with HIV are subjected to on a daily basis.
The numbers to remember
- 23% of young people surveyed believe they are poorly informed about HIV/AIDS, an alarming increase of 22 points compared to 2009.
- Less than 1 in 2 young people feel well informed about where to go to get tested for HIV/AIDS.
- 32% consider that there are drugs to cure AIDS (+5 points compared to 2022).
- 23% still believe that the emergency contraceptive pill can prevent the transmission of viruses, a worrying increase of 4 points in one year.
- Between 12 and 17% of people surveyed believe that you can contract HIV by coming into contact with the perspiration of an HIV-positive person, by drinking from their glass, by shaking their hand or by kissing them.
- 43% think that there are fewer and fewer contaminations among young people.
- 67% of 15-24 year olds say they have not benefited from 3 courses per year in emotional and sexual life education.
- 84% that the number of sexuality education courses at school is not sufficient today.
- % would have liked to be better informed and supported at the start of their affective and sexual life.
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