HIV/AIDS - An Attitudinal Survey
Final Report

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4. Information Sources

4.1 Current Information Sources

Canadians were asked where they have typically obtained their information about HIV/AIDS in the past. Television news (53 per cent) and newspaper articles (46 per cent) are the most common information sources. Under three in ten got their information from health magazines (28 per cent), while television health programs and school are the source for approximately two in ten Canadians (21 and 17 per cent, respectively). Twelve per cent of Canadians have obtained information about HIV/AIDS from family or friends and one in ten have received information from books or the library (10 per cent), doctors (nine per cent), or the Internet (nine per cent). Less common information sources include television advertisements and advertisements in general (four per cent), AIDS organizations (three per cent), radio health programs (three per cent) or Health Canada (one per cent).

• Television news is more apt to be cited as a source among those aged 35 to 44 (60 per cent). Youth and those who earn between $20,000 and $39,000 are less apt to use this information source (41 and 48 per cent, respectively), as are people with low actual knowledge of HIV/AIDS (46 per cent).
   
• Residents of British Columbia are more apt to get their information from newspaper articles (53 per cent), while this is least likely in Quebec (37 per cent). The propensity for using newspaper articles as a source for information increases with age (57 per cent among those over 65), education and income (58 per cent among university graduates and highest income earners). Those who perceive a status quo in the risk of HIV infection are also somewhat more likely to cite this information source (52 per cent). People with a high self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS are somewhat less likely (41 per cent) to do so.
   
• Health magazines are cited less often by residents of Quebec (15 per cent), as well as youth (21 per cent), people with low education and income, and those with low self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS (21 per cent). People who know someone with the disease are more likely to cite health magazines (33 per cent).
   
• Residents of Alberta and those earning between $40,000 and $59,000 are slightly more likely to get HIV/AIDS-related information from a television health program (26 per cent both groups) than other Canadians. Youth (15 per cent) are less apt to do so than other individuals.
   
• As might be expected, school is more often cited as an information source among youth (65 per cent) and those with some university education (24 per cent) than other Canadians.
   
• Youth are less apt to get HIV/AIDS-related information from radio news (six per cent) than older people.
   
• People who know someone with the disease and low income earners are more likely than other Canadians to get their information about HIV/AIDS from family or friends (20 and 17 per cent, respectively).
   
• Individuals who are between the ages of 25 and 34 are more apt to cite doctors as a source of HIV/AIDS-related information (15 per cent) than others of different ages.
   
• People with some university education and those between the ages of 25 and 34 are more likely than others to cite the Internet (15 per cent each group). Individuals with low self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS, on the other hand, are less likely to do so (three per cent).

Media (televised and printed news) are cited more among middle-aged Canadians and seniors, residents of British Columbia, those with higher education and income and those who perceive a status quo in the risk of HIV infection.

Canadians were also asked about where they have obtained information about general health matters in the past. On the whole, the information sources for general health matters are similar to the sources for HIV/AIDS-related information. The chart on the next page indicates the difference in the percentage of people citing a particular source for HIV-related information over general health information. The top four sources remain unchanged, although more people mentioned television news and newspaper articles as a source of information about HIV/AIDS relative to general health. School and family or friends are also more likely sources for HIV/AIDS information. It is interesting to note that doctors and the Internet are relied upon for HIV/AIDS information much less frequently than they are for general health information.

• Youth and those who perceive a decrease in the risk of HIV infection are less likely to identify television news as a source of general health information. It is highest among upper education and income individuals.
   
• Residents in the Atlantic region are less likely to cite television health programs as a source of general health information (12 per cent). Unlike sources for information on HIV/AIDS, patterns do not differ on the basis of income.
   
• As with using newspaper articles to get information on HIV/AIDS, use of this source for general health information increases with age, education, and income.
   
• Residents of Alberta are more likely to cite websites and the Internet as a source for general health information compared to their use of these sources for HIV/AIDS information (21 per cent compared to eight per cent).
   
• Residents of Ontario are most likely across the country to cite doctors as a source for general health information (23 per cent), as is the case for information on HIV/AIDS.

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4.2 Preferred Information Vehicles

The previous questions examined past habits of information consumption and may also point to more passive search methods. Respondents were then asked about where they would go if they were looking for information today. This question highlights not only the most top of mind current sources of information, but may also reflect more active (rather than passive) search methods. The top sources of information about HIV/AIDS among Canadians are websites or the Internet (48 per cent), doctors (39 per cent), and other health care professionals (23 per cent). This is followed by books and the library, and then Health Canada (16 and eight per cent, respectively). Only six per cent say that they would look at an AIDS organization as an information source. Relatively few Canadians cited health journals, family or friends, school or various other media outlets. These findings suggest that while few people have generally been informed through the Internet and health care professionals in the past, if they had a specific question today, these are the sources they would use.

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• Websites and the Internet are cited as a source more often among Ontario residents (54 per cent), while those in the Atlantic region are less likely to do so (41 per cent). Those between the ages of 25 and 44 are more likely to cite this source (61 and 58 per cent, respectively), whereas only 18 per cent of seniors do. The use of the Internet increases with education and income. People who have children who are younger than their teens and those who perceive a status quo in the risk of HIV infection are more apt to use websites and the Internet (61 and 55 per cent, respectively).
   
• Residents in the Atlantic region as well as in British Columbia and Alberta are more likely to use doctors as a source for information on HIV/AIDS (51 and 46 per cent, respectively), while those in Quebec are less likely to say this (24 per cent). Seniors (47 per cent) and people with low self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS (44 per cent) are more apt to cite doctors. Those who do not believe that HIV/AIDS is a very serious problem are less likely to do so (33 per cent), as are those who perceive no change in the risk of HIV infection and who have high self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS (34 and 33 per cent, respectively).
   
• Other health care professionals are more apt to be a source among residents in Quebec (31 per cent), as well as among lower education and income individuals than other Canadians and decreases with rising education and income.

In summary, residents in Quebec are less likely to cite books and libraries (10 per cent), while those earning between $20,000 and $39,000 are more apt to use this source (21 per cent). Residents of Ontario, those with higher education and income and higher self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS are more apt to use websites and the Internet as a source for HIV/AIDS-related information. This is also true among young to middle-aged Canadians (25-44), those with higher education and income, those with pre-teen children and people who perceive no change in the risk of HIV infection in the past five years. Doctors are a source among residents of British Columbia and the Atlantic region, as well as among seniors and those with low self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Residents in Quebec and low education and income individuals are more apt to rely on other health care professionals.

4.3 Reliability of Sources

Three-quarters of Canadians consider their family doctor (76 per cent) and other health care professionals (75 per cent) to be the most reliable sources of information. Seven in ten think that the scientific research community is reliable, while two-thirds consider Health Canada a reliable source (67 per cent). Less than half think that someone infected with HIV and the Government of Canada in general are reliable (48 and 45 per cent, respectively) and one-quarter considers their own family and friends reliable sources of information (24 per cent). The media received the lowest reliability ratings among Canadians (18 per cent).

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• The reliability of doctors as a source of information is consistent across all demographic groups.
   
• Youth (87 per cent) and university graduates (81 per cent) are more likely than others to consider other health care professionals to be a reliable source, as are those with high knowledge of HIV/AIDS and individuals who tend not to distance themselves from the issue. Residents in the Prairies (63 per cent), seniors (54 per cent), the lowest income earners (64 per cent) and those with low self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS (65 per cent) are less likely to view this group as reliable.
   
• The perceived reliability of the scientific research community increases with education and income and decreases with age. People who have children who are younger than their teens (77 per cent) and those with high actual or perceived knowledge of HIV/AIDS are also more likely to see this group as a reliable source than other Canadians, as do people who tend not to distance themselves from HIV/AIDS.
   
• Those between the ages of 25 and 34 (80 per cent) and higher education and income individuals are more likely to think that Health Canada is a reliable information source, as are people who have children who are younger than their teens (81 per cent) and those who do not distance themselves from HIV/AIDS.
   
• There is a higher likelihood for residents in the Atlantic region and those with a college level of education to consider organizations representing the interests of people infected with HIV/AIDS as reliable information sources (71 per cent each group) compared with other Canadians. This is also true of individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 (69 per cent), those with a high actual or perceived knowledge of HIV/AIDS and women (65 per cent), as well as among individuals least likely to distance themselves from HIV/AIDS.
   
• Individuals who know someone with the disease (53 per cent) and people who tend not to distance themselves from HIV/AIDS are more likely to see a person infected with HIV/AIDS as a reliable source. Senior citizens, those born outside Canada, and university graduates are least likely to do so (38, 40, and 41 per cent, respectively).
   
• People who have children who are younger than their teens and who have a high actual or self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS are more apt to see the federal government in general as a reliable source of information (52 per cent each group). People over 65 (35 per cent), those with low education and income, and people who have low self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS (34 per cent) are less likely to consider the Government of Canada as a reliable information source.
   
• Residents of Quebec are somewhat more apt to consider their own family and friends to be reliable sources (29 per cent), whereas those in Alberta and British Columbia are slightly less likely to do so (18 and 19 per cent, respectively). Lower education and income individuals and people with low knowledge are also more likely to view their family and friends as reliable sources of information.
   
• Residents of Quebec and people with a high self-rated knowledge of HIV/AIDS (23 per cent) are more likely to think that the media is a reliable information source (26 per cent), while those in British Columbia and youth are less apt to do so (12 per cent each group).

In general, health care professionals are considered to be most reliable among youth, university graduates, those with high knowledge of HIV/AIDS and those who do not distance themselves from the issue. People between the ages of 25 and 34, those with younger children and those with high education and income and high levels of knowledge about HIV/AIDS are more likely to see the federal government and Health Canada as reliable sources.

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