IN BRIEF
SHARING ONLINE What do people choose to share online when affected by difficult circumstances such as natural disasters, emotional distress and suicidal thoughts, drug use and addiction? Those online need to know how to respond to people in genuine distress. Researchers and project partner, the Samaritans, aim to increase understanding of the issues of sharing, empathy and trust online.
ESRC grant number ES/M00354X/1
LANGUAGE CENTRE Learning to use language to communicate is hugely important for society. Failure to develop these skills at the right age is a major predictor of inequalities in later life. The new International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD) aims to transform understanding of how children learn to communicate, and deliver information needed to design effective interventions in child healthcare, communicative development and early years education. ESRC grant number ES/L008955/1
FLOOD RESILIENCE Researchers will explore a more effective way for communities to become resilient in the face of changing risks associated with anthropogenic climate change. This study will focus on flooding in a rural Devon community and explore the potential for ‘co- learning’ between community members, researchers and local agencies to understand flood risks with the aim of working towards a community flood resilience plan. ESRC grant number ES/L009234/1
Ageism affects how well old people feel
AGEISM IS STILL the most commonly experienced form of prejudice in the UK and across Europe, according to a large-scale study of people’s attitudes to age and experiences of ageism. The Eurage research team, led by Professor Dominic Abrams, examined data from more than 50,000 individuals from 28 European countries based on the Ageism Module in the 2008-9 European Social Survey. While ageism is a significant problem across the 28 countries, the study shows that prevalence of ageism, and perceptions of status and old age, vary considerably. People aged 70 or over who identify themselves as ‘old’ feel worse about their own health in societies where old age is perceived as signifying low status. But in societies where older people have higher status identifying oneself as ‘old’ had no negative impact on how healthy people felt. In the UK, researchers found that ageism was most strongly related to lowered life satisfaction and happiness among people over 70. In this age group those who experienced ageism reported 16 per cent lower life satisfaction and 14 per cent lower happiness compared to people who had not experienced ageism. Researchers used the data to
dispel the notion that older people are generally able to maintain wellbeing in later life, even though many experience age-related changes or declines in their circumstances, health or income. “This ‘paradox of wellbeing’ is only observed in countries with higher
4 SOCIETY NOW SUMMER 2011 AUTUMN 2014
GDP. Our analysis revealed that GDP disproportionally affects the wellbeing of older people relative to younger people,” says research team member Dr Hannah Swift. Ageism varies considerably among countries and is far more prevalent in countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Russian Federation compared to, for example, Cyprus and Portugal. As ageism appears strongly influenced by external factors such as culture and legislation then the possibility of developing policies and strategies to help prevent and challenge ageism clearly exists. “Different strategies to deal with ageism may be needed to be effective in different countries,” says Professor Abrams. “Strategies can be deployed at different levels. At the social psychological level, it is important to change people’s stereotypes of ageing and associated emotional reactions to older people.” Society often segregates older people from young people ranging from special social activities for older people to age-segregated residential schemes. Researchers say encouraging more contact and friendships between older and younger people would do much to provide a buffer against damaging age-related stereotypes. n
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Contact Professor Dominic Abrams, University of Kent Email
d.abrams@kent.ac.uk Web
www.eurage.com Telephone 01227 827475 ESRC Grant Number RES-000-22-4530
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