United Kingdom: Survey Finds Ageism Embedded in British Society

The UK's Department for Work and Pensions has published a report comparing attitudes between people in their 20s and people aged 70 and over, showing that age-related discrimination and stereotyping remain rooted in British society. According to "Attitudes to Age in Britain 2010-11," "A lack of mutual connection and respect across the age range is likely to foster stereotypes, misperceptions and discrimination. This suggests that different types of support are likely to be required to tackle the problem for different age groups."

Among other things, the report found:

• respondents thought that "youth" ends at 41 and "old age" begins at 59, but this varied by as much as twenty years in relation to the age of the respondent.
  
• while most respondents were accepting of a suitably qualified 30-year-old or 70-year-old boss, 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.
  
• respondents that were employed full-time or self-employed were far less likely to have experienced age discrimination than the unemployed working part-time groups.

Source: Department for Work and Pensions Press Release (January 12, 2012)