People with AIDS are still blamed for their illness, and the public remains ignorant about how the disease is transmitted, according to a new national attitudes study by UC Davis psychologist Gregory Herek.

His report was published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health, issued this week.

The study, which reports data from three national telephone surveys on public opinion about AIDS that Herek conducted between 1990 and 1999, found that by the end of the decade substantially fewer Americans endorsed extremely coercive policies such as quarantine of people with AIDS.

On the other hand, more people blame those with AIDS for their illness and don't understand how AIDS is spread, says Herek, a leading researcher in AIDS-related attitudes and stigma.

The study, co-authored by UC Davis psychologists John Capitanio and Keith Widaman, asked more than 2,500 American adults their opinions about people with AIDS and various AIDS policies.

In 1991, the researchers found 20 percent believed people who got AIDS through sex or drug use deserve their illness. That percentage increased to 28 percent in 1997 and then declined to 25 percent in 1999.

In 1999, the researchers found 41 percent of those interviewed believed they could get AIDS from using public toilets, compared to 34 percent in 1991. Also in 1999, 50 percent believed they could get AIDS from being coughed on by a person with AIDS, compared with 46 percent in 1991.

Herek and his colleagues have published thought-provoking findings on an important and complex issue, notes Dr. Ronald O. Valdiserri, deputy director for the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, in an editorial also featured in journal. To successfully address the negative impact of stigma on public health efforts, we must continue to support research that adds to our understanding of how stigma hampers society from effectively responding to HIV/AIDS, he says.