Monkeypox Supplement

In August 2022, Emory University conducted a special one-time survey with AMIS participants to explore knowledge, attitudes and practices related to the US monkeypox outbreak. That survey was developed in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Johns Hopkins University, and is available here. Analyses are underway and results will be posted on this website.

The American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS) is an annual online survey of cisgender gay, bisexual, same gender loving, and other men who have sex with men in the United States. The main goal of AMIS is to monitor trends in sexual health in order to improve public health services for HIV prevention.

For Participants

The American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS) is an annual online survey of cisgender gay, bisexual, same gender loving, and other men who have sex with men in the United States. The main goal of AMIS is to monitor trends in sexual health in order to improve public health services for HIV prevention. The AMIS survey has taken place every year since 2013 with a goal of 10,000 completed surveys each year.

AMIS is advertised online and through a variety of websites and apps. Men are currently eligible to participate if they:

  • Are at least 15 years old
  • Identify as male and were assigned male at birth
  • Reside in the United States
  • Have a history of oral or anal sex with a man
  • Are able to complete the survey in English or Spanish
The online survey includes questions on the following topics: mental health, social support, sexual behavior and sexual health, substance use and experiences of stigma. Additional topics are included for specific research questions each year and the survey is updated every year.

The data are compared and analyzed to identify trends and changes in responses from year to year. Findings are written up and shared via presentations and academic publications. Additionally, health departments in states and large cities may receive annual state reports or data that they use to plan prevention approaches and develop policies.

Reports and publications distributed for use by researchers, community organizers, and collaborative research partners contain only grouped data and no identifying information are included.

If you have any questions or concerns about the study, you can email us at amis@emory.edu. You can also find us on Instagram @amis_emory and on Facebook @AmericanMensInternetSurvey.

For Researchers

The American Men’s Internet Survey (AMIS) is an annual cross-sectional online HIV behavioral survey of cisgender gay, bisexual, same gender loving, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in the United States. The primary objective of AMIS is to monitor trends in HIV risk behavior, use of HIV testing services, and access to prevention services among gay and bisexual men in order to improve public health services for HIV prevention. The survey is conducted in annual cycles with a goal of at least 10,000 complete surveys each year. AMIS has occurred annually since 2013.
GBMSM experience the highest proportion of HIV infections in the United States. Assessing trends in HIV behavior is critical for public health planning and evaluation, and identifying key or emerging behaviors associated with HIV risk and testing is important for informing policy and programmatic discussion. The CDC’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System (NHBS) conducts HIV behavioral surveys of GBMSM every three years using venue-based sampling, including in bars and clubs, to monitor trends in HIV risk and testing behavior. However, an increasing number of GBMSM are meeting sexual partners through the internet and may have different patterns of sexual risk and HIV testing behaviors compared to GBMSM recruited through traditional venues. AMIS provides the opportunity to collect data from a large sample of internet-using GBMSM with broad geographic diversity as a supplement to venue-based studies, such as NHBS. The online data collection platform allows for rapid response to emerging issues in the evolving HIV prevention landscape.
The online survey consists of a core questionnaire, including questions in the following domains: demographics, sexual behavior, HIV and STI testing and diagnosis history, drug and alcohol use, PrEP knowledge, interest, and use, use of HIV prevention services, mental health, stigma and social support. Additional subsets are included for specific research questions for each survey cycle. The survey is reviewed and revised annually.