Attitudes to age in Britain

Research published by the Department for Work and Pensions shows that age-related discrimination and stereotyping remain rooted in British society. The findings are based on new analysis from the ONS Opinions Survey.

The report looks at the factors that are associated with age discrimination and prejudice and compares attitudes between two key groups, people in their 20s and people aged 70 and over.

Key findings include:

• On average, respondents thought that ‘youth’ ends at 41 and that 'old age' begins at 59. However this varied by as much as twenty years in relation to the age of the respondent. The age at which youth stops and old age starts increased in relation to the age of the respondent.
• Just over a third of respondents said they had been shown some age-related prejudice in the last year. This has risen slightly from a quarter in the previous survey. Experiences of age discrimination were more common for younger groups, with under 25s at least twice as likely to have experienced discrimination than other age groups.
• Perceptions towards those aged over 70 are more positive than towards those in their 20s. People over 70 are viewed as more friendly, having higher moral standards and as being more competent than people in their 20s.
• Respondents were asked to say how acceptable or unacceptable they would find a suitably qualified 30-year-old or 70-year-old boss. While most respondents were accepting of either, three times as many (15% and 5% respectively) thought that having a 70-year-old boss would be 'unacceptable' compared with having a 30-year-old boss.