Aging and interaction : a survey of developmental trends in attitudes toward the elderly in the United States

Abstract

Developmental trends in American attitudes toward the elderly were examined across the pre-elderly adult lifespan to determine the contribution of quality and quantity of direct personal contact with older persons in shaping attitudes.Respondents were 81 male and 134 female American adults aged 18 -75 years who completed a questionnaire on elderly people which assessed: (a) the tendency to display a socially desirable response set, (b) attitudes toward institutionalization/segregation (c) attitudes toward interaction, (d) stereotypes and myths, (e) attitudes toward perceived worth, and (f) quality and quantity of interaction.Although attitudes toward older persons in general were quite positive across all pre-elderly age groups, known elders were only considered moderately similar to elders in general.Attitudes were most negative in the oldest preelderly age group, suggesting a tendency to devalue the perceived elderly outgroup in an attempt to maintain positive self-esteem.Finally, quality of contact with all known elders (and especially elders considered immediate family members) best predicted total attitude scores.Social and practical implications of the results were discussed.

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