COMPENSATING PEOPLE WITH AIDS - A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Undergraduates (N =187) read a newspaper editorial (Soskolne, 1994) an d answered questions about compensating people with AIDS. The editoria l noted that during the early years of the AIDS epidemic (1982-1985), the Canadian government received expert advice on how to prevent HIV-t ransmission yet failed to act on these recommendations. Although 80% o f our participants agreed that the government should be held accountab le for its inaction, only 45% agreed that all people who were infected with HIV from 1982 to 1985 deserve financial compensation. Gay men we re considered least worthy of compensation, whereas infants and blood- product recipients were considered most worthy. Participants who suppo rted broad-based compensation tended to be less blameful of people wit h AIDS who contracted HIV through homosexual contact or injection-drug use. Relatively low levels of blame were identified among older parti cipants and those who were less authoritarian.