Factors underlying differences in knowledge, explicit stigma and implicit biases towards autism across Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The samples were university students, not representative of the general population in any country. Most participants were cisgender female, which may underestimate stigma because females often report lower stigma. Ethnic groups were limited, with mostly White participants in the United Kingdom and United States and mostly Chinese participants in Hong Kong. All participants were fluent in English, so results may not reflect people who do not speak English. The Hong Kong sample came from one university, while the UK and US samples came from multiple universities through an online platform. Implicit task scores may be affected by context and executive function, and may reflect exposure to stereotypes rather than personal prejudice.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was supported by a Universitas 21 Graduate Collaborative Research Award and the Medical Research Council.

Do not conclude that autism knowledge alone causes stigma or that Hong Kong university students are more biased than UK and US students. The study measured associations, not changes caused by knowledge, and implicit negative associations were similar across countries.