ABSTRACT
The AIDS epidemic that took the world by surprise brought social scientists across Europe up sharp against the limits of their knowledge and understanding of human sexuality. In most countries, one of the first responses after various studies focusing on gay men was to carry out general population surveys, each with its own priorities and theoretical perspectives, using a variety of data collection methods. Bringing the findings from the various European studies together offers us the opportunity to look at each country against the backdrop of other countries and to explore how differences are related to particularities in socio-cultural contexts and policies. This adds to an understanding of our own national sexual behaviour patterns, but also to a deeper understanding of sexuality in general. While these broader insights can be viewed from various theoretical perspectives, they also enable policymakers to improve their health policies. Finally, the findings of the crossnational comparisons might be helpful in understanding the differences in the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
