World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1st, serves as a critical day for global reflection, remembrance, and a renewed commitment to ending the HIV epidemic. It is a vital platform to unite in the fight against HIV, underscored by recent findings from a LELO survey that reveal a concerning shift in attitudes and practices regarding condom use.
The Decline in Condom Use
Despite decades of educational campaigns emphasizing the importance of barrier protection, the survey, conducted in July 2025 across the UK, USA, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden, found that a significant number of people are using condoms less frequently.
-
17% of respondents report a significant decrease in condom use in the last five years.
-
8% of participants admit they have never used condoms at all.
-
Conversely, 30% use condoms all the time, and 17% use them most of the time, while almost 40% report no change in their usage.
A small but concerning group, 6% of respondents, believe that condoms are not relevant as much as they once were because AIDS is no longer the threat it was in the 1980s and 1990s.
High Awareness vs. Shifting Behavior
The findings indicate a disconnect between high awareness of safe sex practices and current behavior. The survey confirmed that educational efforts have been largely successful in imprinting the importance of condoms:
-
75% of those participating in the survey think that using condoms is the definition of safe sex.
-
Nine out of ten people are aware of the potential risks associated with unprotected sexual intercourse, such as STIs and unintended pregnancies.
-
Three quarters of them feel they have received adequate comprehensive sexuality education.
The primary motivations for using condoms remain consistent: to avoid STDs (38%) and to prevent pregnancy (34%). Moreover, most people feel comfortable discussing contraception, with 77% easily talking about it with partners and 62% with friends.
Misconceptions and Socioeconomic Barriers
Socioeconomic factors and persistent misconceptions continue to pose a barrier to consistent condom use. A vast majority, 68% of those surveyed, believe that income, education level, and access to healthcare lead to a lesser use of condoms or other contraception.
Better education is needed to tackle lingering misconceptions, which include:
-
Believing that having a few partners does not merit using a condom (15%).
-
Thinking that buying condoms is embarrassing (14%).
-
Holding the view that having sex without condoms now and then is no big problem (12%).
-
Assuming that condoms break so often they are not worth using and/or that condoms are too much trouble, leading them to opt not to use them at all (9%).
A Continued Call to Action
Despite significant advancements in treatment and prevention, HIV/AIDS remains a global health challenge. LELO stresses that World AIDS Day remains as critical as ever as a means of:
-
Fighting stigma by promoting awareness of “Undetectable = Untransmittable” (U=U), signifying that individuals living with HIV who are on effective treatment and have an undetectable viral load cannot transmit the virus.
-
Remembering and honoring advocates, researchers, healthcare workers, and those lost to HIV, inspiring continued efforts for universal access to care and prevention.
-
Encouraging individuals to know their HIV status through testing for early detection and prevention.
-
Fostering global solidarity and shared responsibility in the fight to end HIV/AIDS.
It will take a global response to #endHIVepidemic, and LELO remains committed to work to achieve this goal.
*Survey conducted by Censuswide in July 2025 for LELO; 6003 respondents in the UK, USA, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden.
Discover pleasure with:
