Feelings towards Older vs. Younger Adults: Results from the European Social Survey

The study evaluated the association of modernization (at the macro/societal-level) and modernity (at the micro/individual-level) with feelings towards older vs. younger adults. Analysis was based on the fourth wave of the European Social Survey, which includes a rotated module on ageism. The sample consisted of 28 countries and a total of 54,988 respondents. The outcome was based on two affective items measuring explicit feelings towards older vs. younger adults. Hierarchical linear modeling was used in the analysis. A small portion of the variance was attributed to cross-country differences. There was a trend towards more positive feelings towards older adults compared to younger adults. The findings provide support to the claim that modernity is associated with reports of affective ageism, but only minimal support to a relationship between modernization and affective ageism.