ABSTRACT
In a multicultural society such as Australia's it is to be expected that members of different ethnic groups will be influenced by different social and cultural forces in the way they conduct their relationships with each other. It should not surprise us if people from the different groups act differently in their response to the threat of HIV and AIDS. There is, as we shall see, accumulating evidence that there are various ethno-specitic beliefs about what constitutes acceptable and appropriate attitudes and behaviours concerning sex, and what can and should be done to counter HIV infection. In the context of this diversity, in this chapter we ask the question of whether the theory of reasoned action can assist in explaining what people intend to do about HIV to make their lives safer, regardless of ethnic group identification.
