Tolerance

Tolerance

The level of tolerance of Canadians towards people with HIV/AIDS was examined through a number of statements. While most Canadians do not blame people with HIV/AIDS for their condition and most feel they could be friends with someone living with HIV/AIDS, they are less certain as to whether they feel comfortable having them serve the public.

Less than one in ten (eight per cent) agree that they could not be friends with someone who has HIV/AIDS while the vast majority (84 per cent) believe they could be friends with someone with HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, over three-quarters do not believe that people infected with HIV/AIDS through sex or drug use have gotten what they deserve, although one in ten (11 per cent) do agree with this statement. A significant portion of the population, however, does not believe that people with HIV/AIDS should be allowed to serve the public in certain occupations. While two-thirds (67 per cent) agree that people with HIV/AIDS should be allowed to serve the public in positions like hairstylists, fewer than four in ten (38 per cent) believe that people with HIV/AIDS should be allowed to serve the public in positions like dentists and cooks. In fact, almost half of Canadians (44 per cent) believe that they should not be allowed to serve the public in these capacities.

The levels of tolerance towards people with HIV/AIDS is significantly different among people in the United States. In 1997, nearly three in ten Americans (28 per cent) believed that "people who got AIDS through sex or drug use have gotten what they deserve". In 1999, one fourth of Americans held this view.¹