An old age problem? How society shapes and reinforces negative attitudes to ageing

This new report by the UK Centre for Ageing Better looks at how ageing and later life are spoken about across government and politics, the media and social media, advertising and the charity sector.

It reinforces concerns raised around the treatment of older people during the COVID-19 pandemic and warns that the language commonly used around ageing and older people may lead to skewed policy-making and stoke intergenerational tension. The widespread narrative often portrays older people as frail, vulnerable and dependent and frames the ageing population as a problem for society.

The report makes a number of recommendations for different sectors and fits into a broader programme of work the Centre for Ageing Better is conducting around combatting ageism.

• Download the report here
• Download the social media cards to spread the report’s main findings
• Read the Center for Ageing Better’s press release