Survey: Myths of Ageing

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What myths about growing older annoy, insult, or downright make you want to scream? Those ageist stereotypes and negative assumptions about later life that can make getting older downright terrifying?

Have you ever personally experienced ageism, or come across a frustrating stereotype about older people that made you feel upset, attacked, annoyed or angry?

Ageist myths are constantly being broadcast - from the daily news, television shows, movies, books, podcasts, social media posts, in daily interactions with strangers, or even from people we love and respect.

If we aren’t hearing that older generations are to blame for society’s ills, we are hearing that older people are slow, infirm, dependent, grumpy, greedy, and lonely. No wonder so many people are worried about growing older!

Working with our partners from u3a and Design Age institute at the Royal College of Art, we want to identify the myths and misconceptions of later life that we find most irritating, insulting and just plain bonkers, so we can demystify these stereotypes and shine a light on the research, stories and diverse experiences of ageing well. Take the survey below>>>

Data submitted will be stored anonymously and will be used by Design Age Institute, This Age Thing, the Royal College of Art and Third Age Trust to monitor and make improvements.

What is a myth or stereotype of getting older do you find most inaccurate, annoying or just plain insulting? *

Why did you choose it? *

Tick the myth that you find most the most irritating:

Below is a list of some of the most pervasive and ageist myths that come up again and again, some of which were identified in Design Age Institute's The Future of Ageing exhibition 2022, which invited visitors to share what they were looking forward to and what worried them about ageing.

Older people are to blame for today's problems (housing crisis, wealth inequality, climate change, lack of social services)

Older people struggle to adapt to new things (technology, fashion, design)

Older people's opinions don't matter and shouldn't be valued

Older people are grumpy, reclusive or have lower life satisfaction due to their age

Older people are one homogenous group with similar wants, needs and desires

Older people are frail and need to be cared for and are a drain on the NHS

Older people should 'act their age' and forego activities reserved for 'young people' (eg sex, socialising, dating, risk taking)

None of the above

Other:

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