Origins and consequences of ageism in today’s society

Titolo Rivista SALUTE E SOCIETÀ
Autori/Curatori Elaine van Rijn, Frauke Meyer-Wyk, Ann-Kristin Reinhard, Nina Kajander, Fiona Seiger, Jan Wollgast, Susanne Wurm
Anno di pubblicazione 2026 Fascicolo 2025/3 Suppl.
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 13 P. 15-27 Dimensione file 330 KB
DOI 10.3280/SES2025-003-S001002
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

Anteprima articolo

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche.

With the global population growing older, promoting healthy ageing is a priority. Ageism, the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination people have towards others or themselves based on age, can have a significant impact on the ageing process. Ageism against older people has a wide range of origins, but the media can play an important role in contributing to the formation of stereotypes or reinforcing existing ones. The consequences of ageism are widespread and have an effect on people’s health. Negative views on ageing are linked to a shorter lifespan, worse quality of life, depressive symptoms, worse memory and functional decline. Ageism is also present within the healthcare system, where it can lead to reduced access to treatment or preventative measures for older adults, as well as to barriers to engage in health promoting behaviours or even refusal to access healthcare. The present paper provides recommendations on how to address ageism, for example, through awareness campaigns, intergenerational contact, the development of agesensitive communication guidelines, more focus on prevention and health promotion early in life, and implementation of policies that prevent age discrimination. Overall, if people age in a healthier way, they will be more capable to deal with the challenges of a society of longevity, which will ultimately benefit the society as a whole.

Parole chiave:ageing; ageism; longevity; media; health; healthcare.

  1. American Psychological Association (2025). APA resolution on ageism. Available online at: https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolutionageism.pdf (11/12/2025).
  2. Ayalon L., TeschRömer C. (2017). Taking a closer look at ageism: Self and otherdirected ageist attitudes and discrimination. European Journal of Ageing, 14(1), 14.
  3. Ayalon L., TeschRömer C. (2018). Introduction to the Section: Ageism – concept and origins. In: Ayalon L., TeschRömer C., editors, Contemporary Perspectives on Ageism. International Perspectives on Aging, vol. 19. Cham: SpringerOpen.
  4. Bacsu J.R., Andrew M.K., Azizi M., Berger C., Cammer A., Chasteen A.L., Fraser S.A., Grewal K.S., Green S., GowdaSookochoff R., Mah J.C., McGilton K.S., Middleton L., Nanson K., Spiteri R.J., Tang Y., O'Connell M.E. (2024). Using Twitter to understand COVID19 vaccinerelated ageism during the Pandemic. The Gerontologist, 64(2): gnad061.
  5. Bernini A., Icardi R., Natale F., Nédée A. (2024). Healthcare workforce demand and supply in the EU27. Projections for the period 20212071. Publications Office of the European Union, European Commission, Joint Research Centre. Available online at: https://op.europa.eu/en/publicationdetail//publication/91d712bfac7f11efacb101aa75ed71a1/languageen (11/12/2025).
  6. Beydoun M.A., Georgescu M.F., Weiss J., Noren Hooten N., Beydoun H.A., Tsai J., Maino Vieytes C.A., Evans M.K., Zonderman A.B. (2025). Socioeconomic area deprivation and its relationship with dementia, Parkinson's Disease and allcause mortality among UK older adults: A multistate modeling approach. Social Science & Medicine, 379: 118137.
  7. Beyer A.K., Wurm S., Wolff J.K. (2017). Älter werden – Gewinn oder Verlust? Individuelle Altersbilder und Diskriminierungserfahrungen. In: Mahne K., Wolff J.K., Simonson J., TeschRömer C., editors, Altern im Wandel: Zwei Jahrzehnte Deutscher Alterssurvey (DEAS). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
  8. Chang E.S., Kannoth S., Levy S., Wang S.Y., Lee J.E., Levy B.R. (2020). Global reach of ageism on older persons' health: A systematic review. PloS One, 15(1): e0220857.
  9. Cuddy A.J., Fiske S.T. (2002). Doddering but dear: Process, content, and function in stereotyping of older persons. In: Nelson T.D., editor, Ageism: Stereotyping and prejudice against older persons. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  10. Danowski J., Robinson T. (2012). The portrayal of older characters in popular children's picture books in the US. Journal of Children and Media, 6(3): 333350. DOI: 10.1080/17482798.2011.63074
  11. Edström M. (2018). Visibility patterns of gendered ageism in the media buzz: A study of the representation of gender and age over three decades. Feminist Media Studies, 18(1): 7793. DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2018.140998
  12. Francioli S.P., North M.S. (2021). Youngism: The content, causes, and consequences of prejudices toward younger adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(12): 25912612.
  13. Fiske S.T., Cuddy A.J., Glick P., Xu J. (2002). A model of (often mixed) stereotype content: Competence and warmth respectively follow from perceived status and competition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6): 878902. DOI: 10.1037/00223514.82.6.87
  14. Hank K. (2011). How “successful” do older Europeans age? Findings from SHARE. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 66B(2): 230236.
  15. Henry J. D., Coundouris S.P., Nangle M.R. (2024). Breaking the links between ageism and health: An integrated perspective. Ageing Research Reviews, 95: 102212.
  16. Iversen T.N., Larsen L., Solem P.E. (2009). A conceptual analysis of Ageism. Nordic Psychology, 61(3): 422. DOI: 10.1027/19012276.61.3.
  17. Jen S., Jeong M., Kang H., Riquino M. (2021). Ageism in COVIDrelated newspaper coverage: The first month of a pandemic. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(9): 19041912.
  18. JimenezSotomayor M.R., GomezMoreno C., SotoPerezdeCelis E. (2020). Coronavirus, ageism, and Twitter: An evaluation of tweets about older adults and COVID19. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68(8): 1661–1665.
  19. Kajander N., Wurm S., MeyerWyk F., Reinhard A.K., van Rijn E., Seiger F., Wollgast J. (2024a). Ageism: a challenge for a society of longevity. JRC Science for Policy Brief. Available online at: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138088 (11/12/2025).
  20. Kajander N., MeyerWyk F., Pasztor Z., Seiger F. (2024b). Shifting perspectives: addressing ageism in media narratives. JRC Science for Policy Brief. Available online at: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138090 (11/12/2025).
  21. Kessler E.M. (2015). Altersbilder in den Köpfen und Altersbilder in den Medien – wie beeinflussen sie einander? In: Vollbracht M., editor, Ein Heim – kein Zuhause? Rappersville: Innovatio.
  22. Kessler E.M., Rakoczy K., Staudinger U.M. (2004). The portrayal of older people in prime time television series: The match with gerontological evidence. Ageing and Society, 24(4): 531552. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X0400233
  23. Levy B. (2009). Stereotype embodiment: A psychosocial approach to aging. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(6): 332336.
  24. Levy B.R., Slade M. D., Chang E.S., Kannoth S., Wang S.Y. (2020). Ageism amplifies cost and prevalence of health conditions. The Gerontologist, 60(1): 174181.
  25. Lincoln A.E., Allen M.P. (2004). Double jeopardy in Hollywood: Age and gender in the careers of film actors, 1926–1999. Sociological Forum, 19: 611631.
  26. Littlewood K., Gegic J., Hickman M., Henson R.C.J., Bishop J.R., Kershaw T., Diamond P., Slabaugh G., Tranos E., Vasilaki A., Tennant D., Courtin E., Chan L.F., Henson S.M., on behalf of the CELLO Network. (2025). Metabolic dysfunction over a life course key to healthy ageing inequality. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 37(1): 191.
  27. Loos E., Ivan L. (2018). Visual ageism in the media. In: In: Ayalon L., TeschRömer C., editors. Contemporary perspectives on Ageism. SpringerOpen.
  28. Markov C., Yoon, Y. (2021). Diversity and age stereotypes in portrayals of older adults in popular American primetime television series. Ageing and Society, 41(12): 27472767. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X2000054
  29. Markson E.W., Taylor C.A. (1993). Real versus reel world: Older women and the Academy Awards. In: Cole E., Rothblum E.D., Davis N.C., editors, Faces of Women and Aging. New York: Routledge.
  30. Marques S., Mariano J., Mendonça J., De Tavernier W., Hess M., Naegele L., Peixeiro F., Martins D. (2020). Determinants of Ageism against older adults: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7): 2560.
  31. Martens A., Goldenberg J.L., Greenberg J. (2005). A terror management perspective on ageism. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2): 223239.
  32. Ng R., Indran N. (2022). Not too old for TikTok: How older adults are reframing aging. The Gerontologist, 62(8): 1207–1216.
  33. Nussbaum J.F., Pecchioni L.L., Robinson J.D., Thompson T.L. (2000). Communication and aging. Second Edition. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
  34. Pinquart M., Wahl H.W. (2021). Subjective age from childhood to advanced old age: A metaanalysis. Psychology and Aging, 36(3): 394406.
  35. Reul R., Dhoest A., Paulussen S., Panis K. (2023). The vulnerable oldold versus the dynamic youngold: Recurring types in the representation of older people on television. Ageing and Society, 43(12): 28042820. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X2200013
  36. Robinson S., HowatsonJones L. (2014). Children’s views of older people. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 28(3): 293312. DOI: 10.1080/02568543.2014.91299
  37. Sabatini S., Rupprecht F., Kaspar R., Klusmann V., Kornadt A., Nikitin J., Schönstein A., Stephan Y., Wettstein M., Wurm S. (2025). Successful aging and subjective aging: Toward a framework to research a neglected connection. The Gerontologist, 65(1): gnae051.
  38. Schüttengruber G., Stolz E., Lohrmann C., Kriebernegg U., Halfens R., Großschädl F. (2022). Attitudes towards older adults (80 years and older): A measurement with the ageing semantic differential A crosssectional study of Austrian students. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 17(3): e12430.
  39. Thimm C. (2009). Altersbilder in den Medien Zwischen medialem Zerrbild und Zukunftsprojektion. In: Ehmer J., Höffe O., editors, Bilder des Alterns im Wandel. Historische, interkulturelle, theoretische und aktuelle Perspektiven. Stuttgart: Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft.
  40. Ungar A., Cherubini A., Fratiglioni L., de la FuenteNúñez V., Fried L.P., Krasovitsky M.S., Tinetti M.E., Officer A., Vellas B., Ferrucci L. (2024). Carta of Florence against ageism: No place for ageism in healthcare. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 79(3): glad264.
  41. United Nations. (2024). World population prospects 2024: Summary of results. Available online at: https://desapublications.un.org/publications/worldpopulationprospects2024summaryresults (11/12/2025)
  42. Westerhof G.J., NehrkornBailey A.M., Tseng H.Y., Brothers A., Siebert J.S., Wurm S., Wahl H.W., Diehl M. (2023). Longitudinal effects of subjective aging on health and longevity: An updated metaanalysis. Psychology and Aging, 38(3): 147166.
  43. Wagg E., Blyth F.M., Cumming R.G., KhalatbariSoltani S. (2021). Socioeconomic position and healthy ageing: A systematic review of crosssectional and longitudinal studies. Ageing Research Reviews, 69: 101365.
  44. Wolff J.K., Schüz B., Ziegelmann J.P., Warner L.M., Wurm S. (2017). Shortterm buffers, but longterm suffers? Differential effects of negative selfperceptions of aging following serious health events. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 72(3): 408414.
  45. World Health Organization. (2020). Decade of healthy ageing: baseline report. Available online at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240017900 (11/12/2025).
  46. World Health Organization. (2021). Global report on ageism. Available online at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240016866 (11/12/2025).
  47. World Health Organization. (2024). World health statistics 2024: monitoring health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals. Available online at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240094703 (11/12/2025).
  48. Wurm S., Diehl M., Kornadt A.E., Westerhof G.J., Wahl H.W. (2017). How do views on aging affect health outcomes in adulthood and late life? Explanations for an established connection. Developmental Review, 46: 27–43.
  49. Wurm S., Gehring M., Blawert A., Zok K., Schröder H., Kornadt, A.E. (2025). Views on aging throughout the adult lifespan: Age grading in five dimensions. GeroPsych: The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry, 38(2): 6170.
  50. Wurm S., Reinhard A.K., van Rijn E., Wollgast J., Kajander N. (2024). Ageism: A challenge for health and healthcare. JRC Science for Policy Brief. Available online at: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138117 (11/12/2025).
  51. Wurm S., Schäfer, S.K. (2022). Gain but not lossrelated selfperceptions of aging predict mortality over a period of 23 years: A multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(3): 636653.
  52. Wurm S., Wiest M., Wolff J.K., Beyer A.K., Spuling S.B. (2020). Changes in views on aging in later adulthood: The role of cardiovascular events. European Journal of Ageing 17: 457467.
  53. Ylänne V. (2015). Representations of ageing in the media. In: Twigg J., Martin W., editors, Routledge Handbook of Cultural Gerontology. Oxon: Routledge.
  54. Zhang J., Liu X. (2021). Media representation of older people’s vulnerability during the COVID19 pandemic in China. European Journal of Ageing, 18(2): 149158.

Elaine van Rijn, Frauke Meyer-Wyk, Ann-Kristin Reinhard, Nina Kajander, Fiona Seiger, Jan Wollgast, Susanne Wurm, Origins and consequences of ageism in today’s society in "SALUTE E SOCIETÀ" 3 Suppl./2025, pp 15-27, DOI: 10.3280/SES2025-003-S001002