EtIITtIER.S Eagieton Institute ot Politics New Brunswick New Jersey /

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1 ground memo will appear in Sunday s Star-Ledger. Other newspapers may A story based on the survey findings presented in this release and back RELEASE INFORMATION HICHAEL DELLI CARPINI RELEASE: SL/EP11-5 EP61-5) BOB CARTER OR FOR RELEASE: SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 1986 CONTACT: CLIFF ZUKIN EtIITtIER.S Eagieton Institute ot Politics New Brunswick New Jersey / THE STATE UNtVWSJIY CF NEW JEPV March 29 from 201) Rutgers Feature Phone). ATTENTION RADIO STATIONS: Audio is available after 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, -more 37%) consider AIDS to be a very serious threat to the state s general public. worried that they or someone close to them might contract AIDS. An even larger number before the court s decision--also indicates that one-in-seven New Jerseyans is very The survey, conducted with 600 state residents between February 17 and 23--and with AIDS. Those guidelines, which required local school districts to admit children proper input from the public. with AIDS into classrooms, were overturned in part because they were developed without court decision regarding the Department of Education s guidelines concerning children These sentiments are particularly interesting in light of the recent state appeals separately. j these children should be allowed to attend regular classes or if they should be taught latest Star-Ledger/Eagleton Poll. There is some disagreement, however, on whether Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, should be allowed to attend schools, according to the Over 80 percent of the New Jersey public feels that children with Acquired Immune PUBLIC VERY AWARE. FAIRLY CONCERNED. BUT ONLY PARTLY INFORMED ABOUT THE DISEASE NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS FAVOR ALLOWING CHILDREN WITh AIDS TO REMAIN IN SCHOOL ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME: attribute this copyrighted information to the Star-Ledger/Eagleton Poll. release after 6:00 p.m. Saturday, March 29. We ask users to properly also use this information in their Sunday editions. Electronic media may ante %tar-icgcr/eagleton POLL

2 allow children with AIDS to attend school if they were kept In Isolation from others. to attend classes with other children. An additional one-in-three New Jerseyans would problem, slightly over half the public feels that children with AIDS should be allowed While a significant number of residents recognize AIDS as a serious health -more- state feels it is very likely that someone can contract AIDS by using a contaminated Certain information about AIDS is commonly known. Eighty-five percent of the view AIDS as a disease that other people get. majority is pretty concerned about it in a general way. But to a great extent people The public--both In New Jersey and elsewhere--is very aware of the disease, and a reaction of people In New Jersey is not unlike what has been found in national polls. According to Michael X. Delli Carpini, a research associate for the Poll, the AIDS is more likely to be seen as a threat to the general public than to oneself very worried that they or someone close to them might get the disease and 24 percent they have read or heard about the disease. With this awareness has come a concern for are somewhat worried. However, concern over being personally affected by the percent have no opinion on this matter. somewhat serious. Twenty percent consider AIDS a not very serious threat and 12 Awareness of AIDS is almost universal in the state, with 92 percent reporting that the household are nearly identical to those of people without children. disease is not the norm--54 percent of the state s population is either not too serious threat to New Jersey s general public, with another 30 percent calling it personally. Over one third of the state--37 percent--see the disease as a very only 3 percent say children with the disease should not be allowed to attend schools while the remainder had no opinion. The opinions of those with school-age children in personal risk among some New Jerseyans. Fourteen percent of the public say they are worried or not at all worried that they or someone close to them will get AIDS. EP61-5 SL/EP11-5) Page 2

3 contracted from sources that most experts would not consider serious threats. Almost Surprisingly large numbers of people also feel the disease is very likely to be by receiving a blood transfusion from a donor with the disease. with someone who has the disease; and 77 percent feels it is very likely to get AIDS hypodermic needle; 82 percent feels it is very likely to contract it by having sex Copyright, The Eagleton Institute of Politics/Newark Star-Ledger, population would like to see government spending on AIDS research cut back. prefer to see spending remain at the current level. Only 2 percent of the state s spent on research into finding a treatment and cure for the disease, while 18 percent Seven out of ten New Jersey residents would like to see more government money sex, morality, government policy, etc.,--issues that a lot of groups have been of partial, often wrong information floating around. exploiting. Under these circumstances it s not surprising that there is a fair amount that the disease raises. Aids is a health issue, but it has also raised issues of According to Delli Carpinl, confusion over AIDS results in part from the issues 4%), and Hispanics 2%). receiving blood transfusions. Other groups mentioned were Haitians 8%), prostitutes are at greater risk, however, homosexuals were the only group that could be recalled also more likely to be affected, and 20 percent mentioned hemophiliacs or others Two out of evey three New Jerseyans are aware that certain groups are more likely disease; and 10 percent from food handled by someone with AIDS. to be affected by AIDS than others. When asked to specifically identify those that blood; 20 percent from unclean public toilets or from kissing someone with the 30 percent of New Jerseyans believe that it is very likely to get AIDS from giving by a majority 60%). Twenty-four percent volunteered that intravenous drug users are EP61-5 SL/EP11-5) Page 3

4 ±4 percent at a 95 percent confidence interval. Sampling error is the probable telephone. Figures presented for the total sample of 600 have a sampling error of when a random sample of New Jerseyans, 18 years and older) was interviewed by The latest Star-Ledger/Eagleton Poll was conducted between February 17 and 23, 1986, BACKGROUND MEMO--RELEASE SL/EP1I-5 EP6I-5). SUNDAY. MARCH C I?1ITcIER..S EcIeton Institute of Politics New Brunswick New Jersey / How serious a threat do you think AIDS is to the general public here in New How worried are you that you or someone that you are close to might get AIDS--very THE STATE UNEPWV cc NEN JERv Total 14% 24% 29% 25% 9% 101% 600) worried worried worried worried know Total Qft Very Somewhat Not too Not at all Don t worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried? Total 37% 30% 20% 12% 99% 600) serious serious serious know Total Very Somewhat Not very Don t Jersey--very serious, somewhat serious, or not very serious? Total 92% 7% 0% 99% 600) Yes No Don t know Total Syndrome--or AIDS? Have you read or heard anything about the disease called Acquired Immune Deficiency questions and figures referred to in this release are as follows: account the possible sources of error inherent in any study of public opinion. The scientific sample taken from that population. Sampling error does not take into difference in results between interviewing everyone in a population versus a Utlic 4&-TLCbWr/EAGLETON POLL

5 No Groups/ What groups? In Don t know Total than others? Total 66% 19% 15% 100% 600) To your knowledge, does AIDS affect any particular groups in the population more person who has AIDS ) --through sexual relations --by shaking hands with a has AIDS ) --by eating food that has --by using a hypodermic --by using unclean public --by giving blood to a blood --by kissing a person who Very Somewhat Not too Not at Don t bank or hospital ) with a person who has AIDS ) toilets ) AIDS has used ) needle that someone with who has AIDS ) been handled by a person from a donor with AIDS 77% 12% 2% 1% 8% 100% 600) --through a blood transfusion likely likely likely all likely know Total Liil not too likely or not at all likely to get AIDS that way. I read each one please tell me whether you think it is very likely, somewhat likely, I am going to read you a list of ways that some people say a person can get AIDS. As --other ) --Hispanics ) --blood transfusion recipients ) --prostitutes ) --Haitians ) --hemophiliacs ) --intravenous drug users ) --homosexual 60% 6% 34% 100% 600) Mentions Doesn t Don t know Total jjfl EP61-5 SL/EP11-5) -2-

6 Yes isolated No Depends know Total jjfl Yes if Don t children or not? special classes and are kept away from other children or not? Should school children who have AIDS be allowed to attend classes with other Should children who have AIDS be allowed to go to school if they are taught in Total 70% 2% 18% 9% 99% 600) More Less Same Don t know Total research into finding a treatment and cure for AIDS? In your opinion, should government be spending more, less, or about the same on --No ) --Yes ) Household Children in Any School-Age Total 52% 32% 3% 1% 11% 99% 600) EP61-5 SL/EP11-5) -3-