Abstract
Objectives.We examined cross-national differences in perceptions of age discrimination in England and the United States. Under the premise that the United States has had age discrimination legislation in place for considerably longer than England, we hypothesized that perceptions of age discrimination would be lower in the United States.Methods.We analyzed data from two nationally representative studies of aging, the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (n = 4,818) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 7,478). Respondents aged 52 years and older who attributed any experiences of discrimination to their age were treated as cases of perceived age discrimination. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios of experiencing perceived age discrimination in relation to selected sociodemographic factors.Results.Perceptions of age discrimination were significantly higher in England than the United States, with 34.8% of men and women in England reporting age discrimination compared with 29.1% in the United States. Associations between perceived age discrimination and older age and lower levels of household wealth were observed in both countries, but we found differences between England and the United States in the relationship between perceived age discrimination and education.Discussion.Our study revealed that levels of perceived age discrimination are lower in the United States than England and are less socially patterned. This suggests that differing social and political circumstances in the two countries may have an important role to play.
Highlights
Using the same measure of perceived discrimination, our results indicate that perceptions of age discrimination are higher in England than the United States, with 34.8% of men and women aged 52 years and older in England reporting age discrimination compared with 29.1% in the United States
It is possible that older men and women in the U.S encounter less age discrimination than their English counterparts, so fewer perceive age discrimination
An alternative explanation for the higher levels of age discrimination in England is that English respondents are more aware of age discrimination and more readily report it, or are more likely to label an experience as due to age discrimination
Summary
Associations between perceived age discrimination and older age and lower levels of household wealth were observed in both countries, but we found differences between England and the United States in the relationship between perceived age discrimination and education. We focus on cross-national differences in perceptions of age discrimination in the United States and England, and the extent to which older adults in both countries attribute experiences of discrimination in their day-to-day lives to their age.
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