Advances in Social Behavior Research
ASBR ICEIPI 2022, 02 February 2023
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Young generation’s attitudes towards aging population
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Abstract
Older adults, those above 65-years-old, are an exponentially growing population in China, raising concerns around the well-being of this social group. In particular, there are intergenerational conflicts between young teens and older adults, characterized by increased prejudice, stereotypes, and ageism. Drawn upon social contact theory, this study explores these negative intergroup attitudes towards the elders as a function of intention to interact with elders in China but also investigated a possible means to promote positive intergroup relationships (i.e., reading heterogeneous stories about elders on social media). A total of 84 Chinses teenagers aged 11-14 years old were recruited. Findings suggested that children with a lower frequency of contact with elders tend to show higher perceived threats and reported more agism. Moreover, the proposed stories about elders did not necessarily alter these teens’ attitudes towards elders. Theoretical and practical cautions were discussed based on these findings.
Keywords
agism, young adults, Aging population, social contact theory., China
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Data Availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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