Ageist Attitudes: Youth Identity, Subjective Time to Become Older, and Impressions of the General Older Population’s Physical and Mental Health

Abstract

Reduction in ageist attitudes is crucial to resolve intergenerational conflicts between older adults and other generations. As factors related to ageist attitudes, the extent to which people perceive themselves to be young should be the focus. The perceived link between older adults and illness also has a significant relationship with ageist attitudes. This study examines the relationship between ageist attitudes and youth identity (the extent to which people feel they belong to the young population as opposed to the older population), and impressions of the physical and mental health of the general older population. The results of an online survey of Japanese participants (n = 474) showed that those with higher youth identity held stronger ageist attitudes. While impressions of the physical health of the general older population were not associated with ageist attitudes, participants with more positive impressions of older adults’ mental health had weaker ageist attitudes. Future research should extend our model by adding factors not considered in this study.