Attitudes to age in Britain 2004-08

In the context of Britain's ageing population an important challenge is how to respond to people's assumptions and expectations about age and ageing. Attitudes to age can affect people of all ages, and involve people's views both of themselves and of others. These attitudes have important implications for individual well-being, for age equality and for social cohesion. Understanding attitudes to age is essential if we are to develop appropriate strategies for an ageing population. This research analysed evidence on attitudes to age in Britain between 2004 and 2008. The data are from over 6,000 respondents to a series of five nationally representative face-to-face interview surveys. Seven issues were examined:

the importance of age to people’s self-concept, and what determines how they judge others as ‘young’ or ‘old’

beliefs that age prejudice and discrimination are a problem

personal experience of age discrimination

stereotypes that exist about older and younger people, and their implications

beliefs that the ageing population endangers employment prospects, access to services and resources, or endangers the culture and way of life of all people

the expression of age prejudice and

beliefs that younger and older people share a single community and intergenerational divide