College Students' Perceptions About Older People and Aging

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the perceptions of college students at a large southeastern university about aging and older people. Participants were 441 students from age 17 to 49 years with a median age of 19 years. There were 118 males (26.8%) and 323 females (73.2%). The results indicated that students believed a person is “old” at the age of 60 years. In addition, most respondents perceive aging according to the frequency of contact with older people. Students who had worked with older people were significantly (p < .02) more likely to believe that older people have little interest in sex and little capacity for having sex than those who had lived with grandparents. Social class, political affiliation, race, and religion of the students were also analyzed.

Notes

Note: Percentages are based on responses.

^a Pearson's r and standard errorsin parenthesis.

*p < .05; **p < .01.

^a Pearson's r and standard errors in parenthesis.

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.