New Age Without Limits research finds how ageism can impact older people's enjoyment of Taylor Swift
New research to mark the first anniversary of our anti-ageism campaign reveals ageist attitudes about what people over 50 should wear, how much they should exercise and even what music they should listen to.
The campaign is calling on everybody to notice, challenge and change the country’s negative attitudes towards ageing and older people.
One in four people (24%) think it is embarrassing when people in their 50s and 60s go to concerts by the 21st Century’s biggest music stars such as Taylor Swift or Dua Lipa, a new survey from the Age Without Limits campaign reveals.
One in three members of the public (31%) also think that people over 50 should always make sure that their outfits are “age-appropriate”.
And more than one in three people (34%) think that people over 50 should know their physical limits and slow down when it comes to certain activities such as exercise, reveals research from the national charity campaign led by the Centre for Ageing Better.
The Age Without Limits campaign research reveals that men are generally more likely to agree with ageist beliefs around fitness, clothing and lifestyle compared to women.
The campaign also found that younger people are up to four times more likely than older people to strongly agree with ageist ideals about what interests and activities older people should and should not pursue.
The findings come as the Age Without Limits campaign, the country’s first national anti-ageism campaign, enters its second year with a three month nationwide advertising campaign calling on everybody to notice, challenge and change the country’s negative attitudes towards ageing and older people.
The campaign aims to end the negative treatment of older people based on their age wherever and however it occurs. Ageism can have a detrimental impact on people’s job prospects or healthcare treatment, leads to a relentlessly negative depiction of ageing in advertising and the media, can cause older people to be marginalised from society and can lead everyone to think negatively about their own futures.
By changing the way we all think about ageing, the campaign hopes to open up greater opportunity for everyone to age without limits.
Dr Carole Easton OBE, Chief Executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said:
“Our new survey reveals that there are strong ageist beliefs throughout the country which hold us all back in fulfilling the full potential of our later lives.
“As we age, we might encounter health, wealth or other barriers but ageism should never restrict us from wearing the clothes we want to wear, the music we want to listen to, the activities we want to do or the aspirations we set ourselves.
“Ageism can have a substantial harmful impact on many aspects of our lives; the jobs we can get or the healthcare treatment we receive and can ultimately be hugely detrimental to our physical, mental and financial health. That’s why we have to end ageism.
“We all have a role to play in challenging ageism. We know people can experience age-based discrimination and negative treatment at any age. And we know that people can hold ageist views from a very young age as we are exposed to ageist ideas from childhood. Messages in the media, advertising, society, even in the common phrases we use, teach us to fear growing old and often this can manifest in negative ideas about older people themselves. Sometimes these attitudes change as we get older but they can also persist throughout later life.
“If we as individuals become better at noticing ageism and recognising the harm it does, we can all come together to challenge and change mindsets and ultimately ensure that we can all age without the limits of ageism.”
Emma B, Broadcaster and DJ at Magic Radio and previously BBC Radio 1, said:
“I'm a Swiftie, of course I went to see Taylor Swift on her Eras tour last year. The shows were so full of joy for all ages. Plenty of mid-lifers like me had the best time, whether we were there chaperoning our kids or there amongst like-minded friends.
“It is worrying to see that some feel such life-affirming live music events and festivals shouldn't be enjoyed by older people. The live music industry needs all the support it can get and excluding a whole swathe of the audience would not help it thrive.”
The research revealed significant differences in the views between men and women including:
- Two in five men (41%) think that people over 50 should know their physical limits and slow down compared to around one in four (27%) women.
- More than one in four men (27%) think that it is embarrassing for 50 and 60-year-olds to attend Taylor Swift gigs compared to one in five (20%) women.
- But similar proportions of men (32%) and women (31%) agree that people over 50 should always wear age appropriate outfits.
The research also showed contrasting views among different age groups and generations including:
- Two in five (40%) 25-34-year-olds think the idea of people in their 50s and 60s at a Taylor Swift gig is embarrassing compared to just one in ten (10%) people aged 65 and above.
- More than half (52%) of 25-34-year-olds think that people over 50 should know their physical limits and slow down when it comes to exercise – compared to one in four (25%) 45-54-year-olds.
- Almost half (47%) of 25-34-year-olds think people over 50 should always make sure that their outfits are age appropriate compared to fewer than one in four (23%) people aged 55-64.
The Age Without Limits campaign launched in January last year and held a nationwide action day in March as well as hosting a free age-friendly photo exhibition in London.
Since launching the campaign, the proportion of adults in England who have heard "lots about ageism" has almost doubled.
The new mass-reach advertising campaign is entitled “It’s not ageing, it’s ageism” and will show the real effects of ageism and how the building blocks of our lives as we get older can be limited by the attitudes of others – the jobs we can get, the ways we can express ourselves, the ambitions we can pursue.
The campaign emphasises that this is not inevitable and together, we can change these negative attitudes towards ageing and older people.
Harriet Bailiss, Co-head of Age Without Limits campaign at the Centre for Ageing Better, said:
“Getting older can have its challenges but being treated negatively because of your age should never be one of them. Being told that you are too old to do the things you love isn’t part of ageing, it’s ageism.
“The fight against ageism is one we can all play a part in. The first step is to reflect on and question your own attitudes towards ageing and older people and think about the words and phrases you use. Then you can challenge the things you see and hear in your everyday life, whether that be in your workplace, chatting amongst friends and family or on social media.
“Everyone deserves to age without limits and we can all help to make it a reality.”
Age Without Limits campaign supporter Fergus Rose, from London, said:
“Ageism is widespread and can be experienced in many different ways. People might not initially think they’ve been on the receiving end of ageism. But when you stop to think about the issue a bit more, as you get older, you realise that ordinary, little comments that you hear, or see in the media, aren’t about ageing but are actually ageist.
“It’s about attitudes, and often these attitudes about older people are negative. I’ve felt it myself. For example, my wife and I go to music concerts and sometimes people are saying ‘you’re going to be the oldest people there’. Well, hey, that’s fine if we’re enjoying ourselves, and actually we’re never the oldest people there because older people are doing these things.
“I don’t want to be limited by people’s negative assumptions about me because of my age, and that’s why the Age Without Limits campaign is so important for us all to be a part of. Because, hopefully, we’ll all be old one day.”
In the first 12 months, the Age Without Limits campaign has unearthed some key insights into the nature of ageism in the country including:
- One in two adults aged over 50 in England experienced age discrimination within a 12 month period.
- Half of the nation’s population don’t think they will look good when they are old.
- More than a quarter of people are “accidental ageists” who hold stereotypical views and may discriminate on the basis of age without even realising it.
- Women over 50 are more likely to say they feel they have been patronised, dismissed or ignored because of their age while men are treated rudely or aggressively.
- Being poor or disabled can make a person up to four times more likely to be subjected to ageism.
*Survey carried out by Survation between 12th - 17th December 2024. Sample Size: 2,057. The survey was conducted via online interview of residents aged 18+ living in England.
