Abstract
Ageist attitudes have been discovered in children as early as 3 years. However, so far very few studies, especially during the last decade, have examined age-related stereotypes in preschool children. Available questionnaires adapted to this population are scarce. Our study was designed to probe old age-related views in 3- to 6-year-old children (n = 126) using both an open-ended Image-of-Aging question and a new pilot tool, called Young Children’s Views of Older People (YCVOP), based on a visual analog scale illustrated by cartoons. Parental views of older people were also collected. The YCVOP was easy to use and internally consistent. Both that scale and the Image-of-Aging question showed globally favorable views of older people in preschool children, especially regarding warmth and smartness traits. However, assessment of physical capacity and independence tended to be negative. The overall results were in line with the low-competence, high-warmth stereotype of older people that is common in young adults and school-age children and was found in parents in the current study (Stereotype Content Model). Strikingly, children’s views did not correlate with those of their parents’: The children’s responses appeared more personal and emotional, while the parents tended to adopt global stereotypes. The preschoolers’ views of older people were much more positive in those who spontaneously evoked their grandparents when asked to think of an old person. In conclusion, this study, introducing a new visual tool to assess age-related stereotypes, suggests ambivalent views of older adults start in preschool children and are influenced by grandparents relationships.
Highlights
Ageism is defined as negative stereotypes against older people leading to discrimination, segregation, and disregard (Butler, 1969)
We provided the child with the following standard oral explanations: “The old person must be helped or can do everything on her/his own” (Dependent–Independent), and “The old person usually does nothing or usually does a lot of things” (Passive–Active)
Eighty-nine percent were in a relationship or married and three-quarters had at least undergraduate education
Summary
Ageism is defined as negative stereotypes against older people leading to discrimination, segregation, and disregard (Butler, 1969). Older people holding and internalizing negative age stereotypes and attitudes have decreased cognitive and physical performance (Levy, 2009; Armstrong et al, 2017). There is general agreement, in our rapidly aging societies, that ageism should be combatted to foster healthier aging and better integration of older people in social activities (Officer and de la Fuente-Núñez, 2018). Negative views and attitudes toward older adults can start early in life. When school-age children are asked what they think of the old, they often reveal negative views and ageist stereotypes. Children regarded older people as ugly and sick (Weinberger, 1979), and associated
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