Do media portrayals of super-agers reduce or increase ageism toward older adults?

Super-agers are older adults with exemplary cognitive and/or physical abilities. However, the impact of media portrayals of super-agers is unknown. This study examined whether exposure to mass media stories about "moderate" super-agers (exemplary cognitive and physical skill levels) versus "extreme" super-agers (most extreme cognitive and physical skill levels) impacts young adults' ageism. Undergraduate participants exposed to media portrayals of moderate super-agers reported greater agreement with positive age stereotypes toward older adults, whereas participants exposed to extreme super-agers reported lower levels of ageism as compared to control participants. Based on these findings, young adults may perceive super-agers in a positive manner as super-agers highlight positive attributes. Since super-agers are often portrayed as defying negative stereotypes through diligence and a positive outlook (less so through good genes or access to healthcare), exposure to super-agers could have negative effects, which is an important future direction.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Effective Programs for Reducing Ageism Toward Older Adults.

A systematic review and meta-analyses examined intervention strategies to reduce ageism toward older adults using AgeLine, EBSCO, Embase, Campbell Collaboration, CINAHL, CDSR, DARE, Google Scholar, MedlinePlus, PROSPERO, PsycINFO, PubMed, ProQuest for dissertations, and SSCI from inception to September 2021. These meta-analyses involved within-subject (n = 74; 6271 participants) and between-subject designs (n = 78; 6857 participants) across 11 countries and 45 years with participants ages 3-45 years. Examining PEACE model components (Levy, 2018), the aggregate effect sizes were statistically significant for between-subject (within-subject) studies measuring ageist attitudes, g = 0.326 (g = 0.108) and aging knowledge, g = 0.583 (g = 0.304). Separate meta-analyses of contact programs showed significant estimated effect sizes among between-subject (g = 0.329) and within-subject studies (g = 0.263). Along with results from moderation analyses, a main conclusion is that effective interventions include education about aging and positive intergenerational contact (individualized, equal status, and in-person).

Adult Life-Span Development Is Largely Missing From the PK-12 Health Standards: A Risk Factor for U.S. Society.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Scholars have lamented that the PK-12 system in the United States does not provide instruction about development across the life span. Indeed, graduates of the U.S. system tend to perform poorly on knowledge tests concerning middle and older adulthood and to agree with false information about aging (negative stereotypes of older adults). This study systematically reviewed for the first time the health education standards (HES) set by the board of education of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: HES were downloaded from each state's department of education website between September 25, 2021 and December 17, 2021 and then systematically coded. RESULTS: Almost all states (47-49) mentioned each of the 8 National Health Education Standards, suggesting compliance with national guidelines which are not specific to adult life-span development. Whereas all states' HES referred to instruction concerning childhood (n = 51) and adolescence (n = 51), few states' HES referred to instruction about early adulthood (n = 22), middle adulthood (n = 9), and late adulthood (n = 11). Only 23 states mentioned an intention, broadly-speaking, to cover instruction concerning all of life-span development. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings reveal a hole in U.S. HES concerning early to late adulthood and a risk factor for society. These findings signal an alarm on the significant, overdue need for PK-12 education about life-span development, especially with rapid population aging and the far-reaching negative effect of poor aging knowledge on ageism as well as the health and well-being of all age individuals.

An experimental investigation of a simulated online intergenerational friendship.

Reducing ageism is a significant social issue. The current study involved a novel experimental examination of whether a one-time simulated online intergenerational friendship would reduce ageism. Undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to complete an interpersonal closeness exercise (the "fast friends" procedure, Aron et al., 1997; Lytle & Levy, 2015) with a confederate who used a script to answer the fast friends questions, during which they either did not reveal their age (control condition) or revealed being an older adult (age 65; experimental condition). Results indicate that experimental (vs. control) participants reported less ageism and more positive behavior (friendlier responses). These findings suggest that positive online intergenerational contact may help combat ageism. As intergenerational contact was limited before the COVID-19 pandemic and even more so during the pandemic, facilitating online intergenerational contact may be a particularly worthwhile ageism reduction strategy. Further implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.

Reducing ageism toward older adults and highlighting older adults as contributors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated ageism (stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination) toward older adults in the United States, highlighting the belief that older adults are a burden. Prior to the pandemic, a growing body of research sought to reduce ageism using the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model. Extending that research, participants were randomly assigned to watch three videos (less than 10 min total) that challenged stereotypes about aging and older adults, depicted positive intergenerational contact, and highlighted older adults as contributors to society (experimental condition) or three videos on wallpaper (control condition). Experimental participants (undergraduate students in Study 1 and a national community sample of young adults in Study 2) reported increased endorsement of older adults as contributors to society and positive stereotypes of older adults. In addition, in Study 2, negative stereotypes of older adults and views of intergenerational conflict were also reduced among experimental (vs. control) participants. These promising findings show that relatively brief ageism reduction interventions are effective during the pandemic and for the first time, that the perception of older adults as contributors to society can be increased. Future directions and implications for social policies are discussed.

Pre-pandemic Ageism Toward Older Adults Predicts Behavioral Intentions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, older adults have been disproportionately affected by high rates of health complications and mortality. Reactions toward older adults included a mix of prosocial behaviors and ageist responses, consistent with the history of positive and negative views and treatment of older adults in the United States. METHODS: In a two-part study (n = 113, Mage = 18.49, SD = 0.50; range 18-19), we examined whether pre-pandemic ageism among undergraduates predicts prosocial behavioral intentions toward older adults both specific to COVID-19 and in general. RESULTS: Pre-pandemic ageism toward older adults predicted less intentions to help older adults generally and specific to COVID-19. Whereas viewing older adults as incompetent predicted greater intentions to help specific to COVID-19. DISCUSSION: These results reflect the complexity of predicting helping behaviors and suggest that even supportive behaviors toward older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic may be rooted in negative ageist stereotypes. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

An Examination of Intergenerational Contact Experiences Using 10,338 Journal Entries From 2,414 Young Adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With continued negative depictions of older adults and limitations on positive intergenerational contact, ageism is a significant social issue. Using a rich data set of journal entries, we examined sentiments, emotions, and optimal intergenerational contact conditions among volunteers in an intergenerational program. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: 10,338 journal entries were analyzed from 2,414 young adult volunteers from GlamourGals Foundation, Inc., a U.S. nonprofit, which aims to reduce isolation by facilitating intergenerational contact. Applying the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) theoretical model, each sentence was coded using sentiment analysis, emotional analysis, and supervised learning methods across 5 optimal intergenerational contact conditions. RESULTS: Out of 74,475 sentences, participants reported predominantly positive sentiments (64.2% positive, 29% neutral, and 6.8% negative) and more positive emotions (e.g., joy) than negative emotions (e.g., disgust). Nearly all participants (98.2%) wrote at least a sentence that included at least 1 of the 5 optimal intergenerational contact conditions. Moreover, positive sentiment was present in higher percentages when more instances of optimal contact conditions were reported (54.4% for none, 71.6% for 1 category, 81.5% for 2, 83% for 3, 89.2% for 4, 98.4% for 5). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The present investigation applied a theoretical model to assess a long-standing community intergenerational program. Contact that provided one-to-one, cooperative, equal status interactions involving personal disclosure that was sanctioned by the program administrators was associated with positive sentiment. Future directions and implications are discussed.

Intersections of ageism toward older adults and other isms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant global issue that has exacerbated pre-existing structural and social inequalities. There are concerns that ageism toward older adults has intensified in conjunction with elevated forms of other "isms" such as ableism, classism, heterosexism, racism, and sexism. This study offers a systematic review (PRISMA) of ageism toward older adults interacting with other isms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Articles were searched in 10 databases resulting in 354 ageism studies published between 2019 and August 2022 in English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish. Only 32 articles met eligibility criteria (ageism together with other ism(s); focus on the COVID-19 pandemic); which were mostly review papers (n = 25) with few empirical papers (n = 7), reflecting almost all qualitative designs (n = 6). Articles discussed ageism with racism (n = 15), classism (n = 11), ableism (n = 9), sexism (n = 7), and heterosexism (n = 2). Authors represented numerous disciplines (gerontology, medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, and sociology) and countries (n = 14) from several continents. Results from this study underscore that ageism intersects with other isms in profoundly negative ways and that the intersections of ageism and other isms are understudied, requiring more research and intervention efforts.

Reducing Ageism With Brief Videos About Aging Education, Ageism, and Intergenerational Contact.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With an increasing older population, ageism continues to be a significant social issue. Interventions to reduce ageism and improve intergenerational contact are needed. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Building on the Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences (PEACE) model, undergraduates in an online experiment were randomly assigned to watch videos that provided education about aging, ageism, and positive intergenerational contact (experimental condition) or education about wallpaper (control condition). RESULTS: In Part 1, 845 undergraduates in the experimental condition (vs. control condition) reported lower levels of ageism, less negative age stereotypes, more positive age stereotypes, and more aging knowledge in an immediate post-test. In Part 2 (1-6 weeks later), undergraduates in the experimental condition (vs. control condition) reported more positive age stereotypes in a delayed post-test. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings highlight the promise of providing information about aging and positive intergenerational contact to reduce ageism. Brief online educational videos based on the PEACE model hold promise as an effective tool to reach a wide audience and reduce ageism.

Prioritizing Health Care and Employment Resources During COVID-19: Roles of Benevolent and Hostile Ageism.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Benevolent and hostile ageism are subtypes of ageism that characterize older adults as incompetent. With benevolent ageism, older adults are also viewed as warm. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has strained resources and prompted debates about priority for older adults versus other groups. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: College students completed an online survey of how much priority should be given to older adults in 3 relevant health care-related scenarios and 3 relevant employment scenarios. RESULTS: Benevolent ageism significantly predicted higher priority for older adults to receive health care (triage, COVID-19 vaccine, and COVID-19 testing) and employment resources (retention of job and working from home) while greater endorsement of hostile ageism significantly predicted lower priority ratings. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings replicate and extend past work. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on health care and employment resources, this study sheds light on one factor-benevolent and hostile ageism-that contributes to a greater understanding of prioritization views toward a vulnerable segment of the population.

Addressing stereotypes of aging and interest in careers working with older adults through education.

Negative stereotypes about older adults are increasing and contributing to a shortage of professionals in gerontology. Building on the PEACE model (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences), two experiments used education to address stereotypes associated with older adults. Participants were randomly assigned to read brief articles that: challenged stereotypes about older adults (condition 1), challenged stereotypes about careers working with older adults (condition 2), challenged both stereotypes (condition 3), or described careers in general (control; condition 4). In Study 1, 399 undergraduates in all 3 experimental conditions (vs. control participants) reported lower levels of ageism, more positive age perceptions, and more aging knowledge in an immediate and delayed (1-2 weeks) post-test. In Study 2, 446 national community participants (ages 18- 25) in all experimental conditions (vs. control participants) reported greater positive age perceptions, aging knowledge, and interest in psychology and social work careers with older adults in an immediate post-test. These findings highlight the promise of using brief online methods to challenge stereotypes, provide more positive and accurate views of aging and older adults, and increase interest in careers working with older adults. Implications are discussed.

COVID-19 and ageism: How positive and negative responses impact older adults and society.

The disproportionately high rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health complications and mortality among older adults prompted supportive public responses, such as special senior early shopping hours and penpal programs. Simultaneously, some older adults faced neglect and blatant displays of ageism (e.g., #BoomerRemover) and were considered the lowest priority to receive health care. This article examines positive and negative responses toward older adults in the United States during the pandemic and the consequences for older adults and society using data from the pandemic in the United States (and informed by data from other countries) as well as past theorizing and empirical research on views and treatment of older adults. Specifically, positive responses can reinforce the value of older adults, improve older adults' mental and physical health, reduce ageism, and improve intergenerational relations, whereas negative responses can have the opposite effects. However, positive responses (social distancing to protect older adults from COVID-19 infection) can inadvertently increase loneliness, depression, health problems, and negative stereotyping of older adults (e.g., helpless, weak). Pressing policy issues evident from the treatment of older adults during the pandemic include health care (triaging, elder abuse), employment (layoffs, retirement), and education about ageism, as well as the intersection of ageism with other forms of prejudice (e.g., racism) that cuts across these policies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Instapals: Reducing ageism by facilitating intergenerational contact and providing aging education.

Utilizing the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model as a theoretical foundation, Instapals was a novel ageism reduction intervention with undergraduate students in a non-gerontology course that 1) provided aging education and 2) facilitated positive 1-to-1 intergenerational relationships with older adults (individuals 65+) through daily exchanges on Instagram for 30 days and two in-person meetings. Paired t-tests demonstrate a significant decrease in aging anxiety, psychological concerns about aging, and negative stereotyping of older adults. Results from coded open-ended responses suggest an overall positive experience with Instapals and more positive attitudes toward aging and older adults across a semester. Findings from the first test of Instapals, a theoretically-driven intervention, shows promise for reducing ageism among larger samples and in other settings.

Reducing Ageism: Education About Aging and Extended Contact With Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ageism is of increasing concern due to the growing older population worldwide and youth-centered focus of many societies. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The current investigation tested the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model for the first time. Two online experimental studies examined 2 key factors for reducing ageism: education about aging (providing accurate information about aging) and extended contact (knowledge of positive intergenerational contact) as well as their potential combined effect (education plus extended contact). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In Study 1, 354 undergraduates in all 3 experimental conditions (vs. control participants) reported less negative attitudes toward older adults (delayed post-test) and greater aging knowledge (immediate and delayed post-tests), when controlling for pre-study attitudes. In Study 2, 505 national community participants (ages 18-59) in all experimental conditions (vs. control participants) reported less negative attitudes toward older adults (immediate post-test) and greater aging knowledge (immediate and delayed post-tests). In summary, across 2 online studies, education about aging and knowledge of intergenerational extended contact improved attitudes toward older adults and aging knowledge. IMPLICATIONS: Thus, brief, online ageism-reduction strategies can be an effective way to combat ageism. These strategies hold promise to be tested in other settings, with other samples, and to be elaborated into more in-depth interventions that aim to reduce ageism in everyday culture.

Culturally Relevant Meanings of the Protestant Work Ethic and Attitudes towards Poor Persons.

The Protestant work ethic (PWE), or the belief that hard work leads to success, is a popular belief across cultures. Much work indicates that PWE contributes to negative evaluations of disadvantaged groups presumably through the notion that they deserve their disadvantage for not working hard enough ("PWE-Justifier"). But there is another dimension of PWE that expresses the belief that everyone could succeed through hard work ("PWE-Equalizer"). We propose that the PWE-Justifier is meaningful in cultures that emphasize individualism and personal responsibility, but not in others. In a cross-cultural study, we compare how PWE-Justifier relates to evaluations of poor persons in the USA (individualist culture) and the Philippines (low individualist culture). In the USA sample, regression analysis indicated that internal attributions of poverty mediated the relationships of PWE-Justifier with negative stereotypes (R2 = .32) and with negative attitudes towards poor persons (R2 = .13). Bootstrapping analysis indicated that both indirect effects of PWE-Justifier were significant: Negative stereotypes, B = .17, SE = .03, p < .0001, 95% CI [.11, .24]; negative attitudes, B = 2.52, SE = 1.11, p = .014, 95% CI [0.49, 4.84]. The results were not found in the Philippine sample, where instead, PWE-Equalizer negatively predicted negative attitudes (R2 = .05) and positively predicted empathy (R2 = .05) for poor persons. The results are discussed in terms of how the negative consequences of PWE may derive from the cultural syndrome of individualism that emphasizes personal control and responsibility.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Differences in Aging Perceptions and Concerns Among Older Adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ageism (negative attitudes and behavior toward older adults) is a serious social issue and is of growing concern as the population of older adults continues to increase. Research demonstrates that negative aging perceptions and aging concerns are associated with poor health and well-being among older adults; yet, few studies have examined sexual orientation or gender differences in aging perceptions and concerns among older adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The current online study examined aging perceptions and concerns among a national community sample of 821 (female = 464) participants (76 lesbian, 159 gay, 88 bisexual, 498 heterosexual participants) ranging from 45 to 80 years of age (M = 55.56). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Older women reported more aging anxiety and endorsement of aging stereotypes while older sexual minority individuals reported heightened general aging concerns compared to their heterosexual peers. Among sexual minority participants, discrimination based on age and sexual orientation predicted greater sexual minority-specific aging concerns, anxiety, and depression. Experiencing sexual orientation discrimination buffered age discrimination's impact on sexual minority-specific aging concerns, suggesting that experiencing discrimination based on one stigmatized identity (sexual minority) may promote effective coping with discrimination based on another stigmatized identity (older adult). Conversely, age and sexual orientation discrimination had multiplicative effects on anxiety and depression. IMPLICATIONS: Overall, findings point to the importance of examining sexual orientation and gender differences in aging perceptions and concerns to more fully understand the experiences, health, and well-being of the growing older population. Implications for future directions are discussed.

Toward Reducing Ageism: PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) Model.

The population of older adults is growing worldwide. Negative ageism (negative attitudes and behavior toward older adults) is a serious international concern that negatively influences not only older adults but also individuals across the age continuum. This article proposes and examines the application of an integrative theoretical model across empirical evidence in the literature on ageism in psychology, medicine, social work, and sociology. The proposed Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences (PEACE) model focuses on 2 key contributing factors expected to reduce negative ageism: (a) education about aging including facts on aging along with positive older role models that dispel negative and inaccurate images of older adulthood; and (b) positive contact experiences with older adults that are individualized, provide or promote equal status, are cooperative, involve sharing of personal information, and are sanctioned within the setting. These 2 key contributing factors have the potential to be interconnected and work together to reduce negative stereotypes, aging anxiety, prejudice, and discrimination associated with older adults and aging. This model has implications for policies and programs that can improve the health and well-being of individuals, as well as expand the residential, educational, and career options of individuals across the age continuum.

Culturally relevant meanings of the Protestant work ethic and attitudes towards poor persons

The Protestant work ethic (PWE), or the belief that hard work leads to success, is a popular belief across cultures. Much work indicates that PWE contributes to negative evaluations of disadvantaged groups presumably through the notion that they deserve their disadvantage for not working hard enough ("PWE-Justifier"). But there is another dimension of PWE that expresses the belief that everyone could succeed through hard work ("PWE-Equalizer"). We propose that the PWE-Justifier is meaningful in cultures that emphasize individualism and personal responsibility, but not in others. In a cross-cultural study, we compare how PWE-Justifier relates to evaluations of poor persons in the USA (individualist culture) and the Philippines (low individualist culture). In the USA sample, regression analysis indicated that internal attributions of poverty mediated the relationships of PWE-Justifier with negative stereotypes (R2 = .32) and with negative attitudes towards poor persons (R2 = .13). Bootstrapping analysis indicated that both indirect effects of PWE-Justifier were significant: Negative stereotypes, B = .17, SE = .03, p < .0001, 95% CI [.11, .24]; negative attitudes, B = 2.52, SE = 1.11, p = .014, 95% CI [0.49, 4.84]. The results were not found in the Philippine sample, where instead, PWE-Equalizer negatively predicted negative attitudes (R2 = .05) and positively predicted empathy (R2 = .05) for poor persons. The results are discussed in terms of how the negative consequences of PWE may derive from the cultural syndrome of individualism that emphasizes personal control and responsibility

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Essentialist beliefs: Understanding contact with and attitudes towards lesbian and gay individuals.

Sexual prejudice remains a widespread problem worldwide. Past research demonstrates that cross-orientation contact (contact between heterosexuals and lesbian/gay individuals) reduces sexual prejudice among heterosexuals, especially when contact is high quality. This study extends the literature on the relationship between cross-orientation contact and sexual prejudice and the mediation of this relationship by intergroup anxiety by examining the role of a key ideology - essentialist beliefs about homosexuality (immutability, universality, and discreteness beliefs). Findings indicate that the mediation of the relationship between cross-orientation contact and sexual prejudice by intergroup anxiety differs by level of essentialist beliefs. Additionally, the relationship between cross-orientation contact and sexual prejudice appears to be mediated by essentialist beliefs as well as intergroup anxiety. These results suggest that individuals who endorse essentialist beliefs commonly associated with increased bias (high discreteness and low immutability and universality beliefs) may benefit the most from cross-orientation contact and resultant decreases in intergroup anxiety. Further, decreasing essentialist beliefs generally associated with increased bias may be a mechanism through which cross-orientation contact reduces sexual prejudice. Implications and future directions are discussed.