According to a recent poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, over half of Americans in the 18 – 29 year old age range, known as Generation X, identify the AIDS epidemic as the most defining event of their generation. Previous generations named World War II and the Vietnam War as the most impressing events of their time. Generation X chose AIDS over such memorable experiences as the Persian Gulf War and the collapse of communism. In the words of Peter Hart, the co-conductor of the poll, “In psychological terms, AIDS to [Generation Xers] is as much of a fear as polio must have been to their grandparents’ generation.” The concern is not surprising considering the United Nations AIDS Program and the World Health Organization recently reported that the global HIV infection estimate is 30.6 million – up 30% from 1996’s estimate of 22.6 million.
Source: Hunt, A. (1997, December 12). Defining events: World War II, Vietnam, AIDS. Wall Street Journal, p. R6.
Brown, D. (1997, November 26). Estimate of HIV infection rises to 30.6 million globally. Washington Post, p. A6.
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