Young people’s perception of old age and elderly people: Attitudes of Novi Sad university students

Abstract

The paper presents the findings of a study that included 29 graduate year students of the Faculties of Sciences (Geography Department), Law and Medicine of the University of Novi Sad. Three focus groups discussed the students? perception of elderly people and their first associations with old age. They were also asked whether they were aware of the life characteristics when it comes to the Third age and to explore their personal experiences with the elderly, as well as the young men and women?s thoughts of their own ageing and of themselves as old people. The students? responses indicated that most of them had romantic visions of their own old age and, at the same time, multiple negative stereotypes and prejudices about the elderly people around them, whom they rarely supported. It is, therefore, important to promote understanding between youth and the elderly in an ageing society, as it is the case in Vojvodina and Serbia overall.