Relating to Older People Evaluation (ROPE): A Measure of Self-Reported Ageism

Abstract

The Relating to Older People Evaluation (ROPE) is a 20-item questionnaire that measures positive and negative ageist behaviors that people may engage in during everyday life. In this article, we report the first findings from several administrations of the ROPE along with initial psychometric information on the instrument. Respondents were college students, community-dwelling older adults, and persons affiliated with a university community. Results indicate that most people of all ages readily admit to positive ageist behaviors. Younger and older adults appear to participate in similar amounts of ageist behavior. Analyses by gender indicated that women endorsed the positive ageism items more often than did men. Psychometric analyses yielded estimates of adequate test-retest reliability and internal consistency reliability. Implications for current views of ageism as a social phenomenon and strategies for reducing ageist behaviors in everyday life are discussed.

Thanks to Drs. Elaine Cress, Anne Glass, and Ashley Reich for their assistance in collecting data for this paper. Thanks, too, to Elaine Cherry, Ronnell Nolan, Erin Jackson, Mary Robichaux, and Emily Smitherman for their help with the research effort.

Notes

Note. The college students were enrolled in undergraduate courses at Louisiana State University and the University of Georgia. Older adults were drawn from three states including Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. The university community sample consisted of persons who responded to an article in the Duke University newsletter and others who attended the LSU Life Course and Aging Center annual community partners luncheon.