To assess perceptions of HIV treatment as prevention (TasP), we conducted an online survey of MSM in New York City (n = 732) asking them to rate the effectiveness of different strategies to reduce HIV risk during serodiscordant condomless anal sex between men. Only 6.1% reported not knowing what TasP was, with significantly less awareness among non-gay-identified MSM, men with less education, men who reported fewer anal sex partners in the prior 3 months, and HIV-negative/unaware men who had never used PrEP. The strategy most frequently perceived to offer "a lot" or "complete" protection from HIV was daily PrEP (70.0%), followed by TasP (39.1%), intermittent PrEP (16.6%), strategic positioning (15.8%), and withdrawal before ejaculation (10.8%). Men who were HIV positive, who had ever used PrEP, and who identified as gay/homosexual were significantly more likely to see TasP as effective. Further studies should investigate MSM's apparent skepticism towards TasP.
Keywords: HIV prevention; Men who have sex with men (MSM); Perceived effectiveness; Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); Treatment as prevention (TasP).