Public Perceptions of Older People A literature review

linear trend showing increasing positive explicit attitudes toward older people
relative to younger people commensurate with respondent age, there
remained strong negative implicit attitudes toward older people amongst all
participant age groups.
Children’s attitudes are considered an important area of study, as they may
be reflective of societal attitudes as a whole (Schwalbach & Kiernan 2002).
Social learning is often considered one of the strongest determinants of
stereotyping and prejudice against stigmatised groups (Montepare &
Zebrowitz 2002). Barrett and Cantwell (2007) asserted that early socialisation
leads children to assume ideas and attitudes towards older people and ageing
which become well embedded and taken for granted as they get older.
A review of literature conducted by Montepare and Zebrowitz (2002)
regarding children’s attitudes towards older adults revealed that the tendency
to differentiate people based on their age begins in early infancy and that
both negative feelings toward older adults and varied stereotypes emerge in
the early preschool years. Other researchers similarly report that children as
young as four or five have well defined ideas about older people and ageing
and exhibit negative attitudes toward older adults (Cottle & Glover 2007;
Gilbert & Ricketts 2008). Gilbert and Ricketts (2008) asserted children’s ideas
and attitudes change and develop with age. It has also been suggested that
children’s attitudes tend to become less negative, more differentiated and
more elaborate with age (Montepare & Zebrowitz 2002). A study by Davidovic
et al. (2007) revealed positive perceptions of old age in a sample of 162
school children, which led them to the conclude that ageism is adopted later
in life.
Age may be an influential factor in the perceptions of older people and ageing.
While some researchers assert that young people tend to hold negative
attitudes which then develop into more positive attitudes as they get older,
others have argued that ageist attitudes tend to be adopted in later life.
Further research is needed to clarify the nature and direction of the
perceptions and attitudes of older people.
7.6.3 Knowledge and understanding of older people
Researchers have suggested that ageism is not innate but develops over time
(Lichtenstein et al. 2005; Davidovic et al. 2007). Such arguments promote the
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