If the goal of an HIV prevention program is to help women develop condom negotiation skills, for example, questions addressing this ability should be asked, particularly self-efficacy about condom negotiation. Behavioral intentions are most often measured by a direct question about the likelihood of a person enacting a behavior. Self-efficacy can be defined as the confidence a person feels about performing a specific behavior. This includes the confidence to overcome barriers to performing the behavior. It is usually asked in a direct way.
Questions sometimes ask about the perception of past risk, current risk, and future risk.
Social norms can be considered acceptable beliefs and behaviors as defined by society. They are social rules and regulations. Different and conflicting norms can be held by different sub-groups as well. For example, norms against sex before marriage can be held by most people in the community, but norms in support of sex before marriage can be held by an individuals peers or close friends. As with other types of questions, it is important to keep comparability in mind when designing a survey.