Attitudes Go directly to survey questions. Attitudes can be defined as positive or negative mental positions or feelings towards a fact or a state. Attitudes are often based on the belief about the likely outcome of an event, and whether that outcome is considered to be good or bad.
Attitudes are important components of many theories that attempt to explain behaviors.
Attitudes are often correlated with behavior, that is, if a person answers that they like condoms, they are often more likely to use condoms. However, this is only sometimes the case, and attitudes provide only some information towards understanding behaviors. Investigating attitudes is also important when setting up HIV-related services, as well as understanding the reasons behind the success or failure of such services within an area. For instance, if negative attitudes towards condom use are common among a certain group, but positive attitudes towards communicating openly with a sexual partner about HIV risk exist, the program could focus on changing the first attitude and reinforcing the second. Important distinctions can be made between knowledge and attitude questions.