Questions of age: is discrimination on the rise and what counts as young?

Some interesting findings are contained in the Department for Work and Pensions’s recent research into public attitudes and experiences in the UK (“Attitudes to age in Britain 2004-08”, based on five national surveys).

On age discrimination:

Over a quarter (26 per cent) of respondents had experienced ageism. Among respondents of all ages, ageism was experienced more commonly than any other form of prejudice. Younger respondents reported experiencing more discrimination of all types, including ageism. Age discrimination was more likely to be experienced by respondents who were retired or not working, and by respondents who were not married/not living as married. The prevalence of gender and ethnic discrimination showed slight decline between 2004 and 2008 whereas experiences of age discrimination appeared to have increased in 2008.

On attitudes towards what counts as young or old:

On average, respondents judged that ‘youth’ generally ends at 45 years of age. However, 18 per cent said youth ends by the age of 30 and 11 per cent said it continues beyond the age of 50. On average, respondents judged that ‘old age’ starts at 63 years of age, but 11 per cent said it starts before the age of 50 while 34 per cent said that old age starts after the age of 70. Older respondents and women considered that youth continues longer and old age starts later than did younger respondents and men, respectively.

On links between generations:

Fewer than a third of respondents over 70 had friends under 30 and fewer than a third of respondents aged under 30 had friends over 70, whereas almost all of these respondents had friends their own age. Regardless of their age, women, and respondents with a white ethnic background were more likely to have friends aged over 70 whereas men and respondents in full-time work were more likely to have friends aged under 30.