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Widespread distrust of the U.S. government among minority populations is commonly cited as a reason for their underrepresentation in medical research trials. Now, researchers have examined this correlation in the context of AIDS.
As part of two random-digit-dialed telephone surveys conducted in seven cities in the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1999 and 2003, more than 2000 adults (49% white; 31% black; 20% Hispanic) were asked: “How likely is it that AIDS is the result of a government plan to intentionally kill a certain group of people by genocide?” In both surveys, <10% of whites reported believing in such a plan, compared with three to four times as many blacks and Hispanics. The racial disparity was independent of age, gender,…