Ageism towards young and elderly people: lessons from the Nordic diversity model

Our study compares ageism towards older people with that towards younger people by making a comparative analysis of different European countries, and seeks to evaluate a possible correlation between these two forms of ageism. Using data from the ESS requested by the European Commission, and conducted on 48,141 people in 25 European countries, the present study reveals a positive correlation between the two forms of ageism and thus shows that exclusion at both ends of the age spectrum are linked. However, while ageism towards older people in Nordic countries is particularly low, it remains high towards young people suggesting that a low level of ageism towards the elderly does not necessarily benefit young people. From this we infer that age-based diversity management should simultaneously address both age groups.