Concepts of AIDS in Germany: Stability and Change

Assessment of the dangers from AIDS. Attitude to the social
consequences of AIDS.

Topics: 1. As oral survey: general assessment of the dangers and
temptations for young people in large cities; assessment of the danger
of AIDS infection in large cities; expected jeopardy from crime in
Germany to the extent of American cities; probability of personally
isolating oneself in future due to AIDS; assessment of the degree of
infection of selected illnesses; attitude to handicapped and sick
persons; importance and consciousness of the dangers from AIDS; assumed
effectiveness of possibilities of protection against AIDS; perceived
threat to personal circle of friends and family from selected
illnesses; perceived threat from technical developments such as nuclear
energy, gene technology as well as from the ozone hole and
environmental pollution; attitude to AIDS and the AIDS-infected as well
as attributing blame to the primary risk groups; satisfaction with the
German public health system; earning money or helping as primary motive
among those active in the public health system; risk of HIV infection
in the hospital; self-assessment of the certainty with which one would
recognize someone infected with HIV; trust in the public health system
and especially in blood preparations and blood transfusions after the
so-called blood scandal in which AIDS-infected blood preparations came
into use; influence of AIDS on daily behavior with people as well as
feeling of safety; dealing with the AIDS-infected or isolation; state
of knowledge about possibilities of infection with AIDS; active or
casual gathering of information on AIDS; tolerance or isolation of the
AIDS-infected (scale); compulsory measures or education as promising
measures against AIDS; attitude to selected measures to combat AIDS
(scale); willingness to help regarding AIDS-infected people; preference
for protection of privacy of AIDS patients or protection of the healthy
at the cost of those infected with AIDS; trust in statements of science
regarding the familiar paths of infection of AIDS; general assessment
of the AIDS problem for the respondent; thoughts of AIDS infection with
intimate contacts with random acquaintances; use of condom; attitude to
use of condom with future relations with unknown partners; not using a
condom only after an AIDS test.

2. As a written form to be filled out the respondent answered the
following: psychological self-characterization: fatalism or personal
responsibility (scale); attitude to condom use and fidelity in a
partnership; information on sexual conduct in the last 12 months with
changing partners and random acquaintances.

3. Demography: sex; month of birth; year of birth; school education;
age at leaving the school providing all-round education; vocational
training; full-time employment; occupational position; employment in
the civil service; marital status; living together with a partner;
self-assessment of social class; religious denomination; religiousness;
election participation at the last Federal Parliament election and
second vote; party preference (Sunday question); size of household;
composition of household; net income; number of person contributing to
household income; number of employed in household and total household
income; origins from the GDR or the old Federal Republic; possession of
a telephone.