Undergraduate Attitudes Toward the Elderly: The Role of Knowledge, Contact and Aging Anxiety

Abstract

Knowledge, anxiety, and attitudes about the elderly were assessed in 113 university students using the Facts on Aging Quiz, the Anxiety about Aging Scale, and the Fraboni Scale on Ageism. No significant differences in knowledge or anxiety based on age or gender were found in the sample. Female participants in the sample were found to be significantly less ageist than males on average, and this difference was maintained controlling for the levels of the other variables. Previous studies have not consistently found a correlation between either knowledge or contact with the elderly and ageism. This study uses multiple regression and path analysis to investigate the relationship between knowledge, anxiety, ageism, and contact with the elderly. The study finds that knowledge and contact with the elderly do affect ageism, but indirectly, mediated through their effect on anxiety.