The significance and expectations of HIV cure research among people living with HIV in Australia.

Most people living with HIV (PLHIV) with reliable access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) have a life expectancy similar to uninfected populations. Despite this, HIV can negatively affect their social and psychological wellbeing. This study aimed to enhance understanding of the expectations PLHIV hold for HIV cure research and the implications this has for HIV cure research trials. We interviewed 20 Australian PLHIV about their expectations for HIV cure research outcomes and the impact a potential cure for HIV may have on their everyday lives. Data were analysed thematically, using both inductive and deductive approaches. The significance of a cure for HIV was expressed by participants as something that would offer relief from their sense of vigilance or uncertainty about their health into the future. A cure was also defined in social terms, as alleviation from worry about potential for onward HIV transmission, concerns for friends and family, and the negative impact of HIV-related stigma. Participants did not consider sustained medication-free viral suppression (or remission) as a cure for HIV because this did not offer certainty in remaining virus free in a way that would alleviate these fears and concerns. A cure was seen as complete elimination of HIV from the body. There is an ethical need to consider the expectations of PLHIV in design of, and recruitment for, HIV cure-related research. The language used to describe HIV cure research should differentiate the long-term aspiration of achieving complete elimination of HIV from the body and possible shorter-term therapeutic advances, such as achieving medication free viral suppression

Perceptions of HIV cure research among people living with HIV in Australia

Participation in HIV cure-related clinical trials that involve antiretroviral treatment (ART) interruption may pose substantial individual risks for people living with HIV (PLHIV) without any therapeutic benefit. As such, it is important that the views of PLHIV are considered in the design of HIV cure research trials. Examining the lived experience of PLHIV provides unique and valuable perspectives on the risks and benefits of HIV cure research. In this study, we interviewed 20 PLHIV in Australia about their knowledge and attitudes toward clinical HIV cure research and explored their views regarding participation in HIV cure clinical trials, including those that involve ART interruption. Data were analysed thematically, using both inductive and deductive coding techniques, to identity themes related to perceptions of HIV cure research and PLHIV’s assessment of the possible risks and benefits of trial participation. Study findings revealed interviewees were willing to consider participation in HIV cure research for social reasons, most notably the opportunity to help others. Concerns raised about ART interruption related to the social and emotional impact of viral rebound, including fear of onward HIV transmission and anxiety about losing control. These findings reveal the ways in which PLHIV perspectives deepen our understanding of HIV cure research, moving beyond a purely clinical assessment of risks and benefits in order to consider the social context

Job Loss Fears and (Extreme) Party Identification: First Evidence from Panel Data

There is a large body of literature analyzing the relationship between objective economic conditions and voting behavior, but there is very little evidence of how perceived economic insecurity impacts on political preferences. Using seventeen years of household panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we examine whether job loss fears impact on individuals' party identification. Consistent with rational choice theory, we find strong and robust evidence that job loss fears foster affinity for parties at the far right-wing of the political spectrum. However, our empirical estimates do not suggest that job loss fears result in people withdrawing their support from political parties altogether

Effekte spezifischen politischen Wissens auf einstellungskongruente Wahlentscheidungen

Der Beitrag untersucht die Effekte spezifischen politischen Wissens auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit einstellungskongruenter Wahlentscheidungen. Dafür werden drei Bereiche politischen Faktenwissens unterschieden: Wissen über das politische System, politische Akteure und ideologische Parteipositionen. Unter Rückgriff auf Daten der Österreichischen Nationalen Wahlstudie AUTNES wird gezeigt, dass das Wissen über die Parteipositionen einen direkten Effekt auf einstellungskongruente Wahlentscheidungen hat, während das Wissen über das politische System dabei hilft, sich Heuristiken zu bedienen. Das Wissen über die politischen Akteure erweist sich hingegen als wenig relevant für einstellungskongruente Wahlentscheidungen

The Questionable Contribution of Youth Studies to the Analysis of Trends in Political Culture

Die meisten Jugendstudien enthalten Fragen zu politischen Orientierungen und die Publikationen über diese Studien verstehen sich in der Regel auch als Beitrag zur politischen Kulturforschung. Der vorliegende Aufsatz verweist auf verschiedene Fehler, die typischerweise bei der Interpretation der in Jugendstudien erhobenen politischen Einstellungen gemacht werden. Anhand von Längsschnittdaten und im Generationsvergleich wird gezeigt, wie irreführend die in einzelnen Studien ermittelten Randverteilungen sein können. Ein seriöser Umgang mit den erhobenen Daten erfordert daher, dass man sich der möglichen Fehlerquellen bewusst ist, und setzt Kenntnisse über die Ergebnisse der politischen Kulturforschung und über Einstellungstrends in der Gesamtbevölkerung voraus.German youth surveys regularly include at least some questions on political beliefs, and the authors of youth studies tend to use their data for inferring trends in political culture. This article discusses several typical errors made in data interpretation. Using longitudinal data and comparing different generations, it shows how misleading the marginals of youth surveys can be as far as trends in political culture are concerned. An appropriate interpretation of the results presupposes awareness of these potential fallacies and sufficient knowledge of the body research on political culture as well as information on attitudinal trends in the population at large