Research by SunLife found those in their 30s most likely to use discriminatory language

More than a third of British people admit that they have discriminated against others because of their age, according to new research on everyday ageism, with those in their 30s most guilty.

The Ageist Britain report, which surveyed 4,000 UK adults and analysed thousands of tweets and blogposts in the UK, found a further one in 30 people admitted to regularly discriminating against anyone aged over 50 – and more than one in 10 admitting that they don’t even know if they are ageist.

“Old fart”, “little old lady”, “bitter old man” and “old hag” were, researchers found, the most used ageist phrases on social media. Other common terms included “ladies/gentleman of a certain age”.

Carol Vorderman, who worked with SunLife on the research, said: “The report shows that we’re bombarded with phrases and behaviours which imply that life after 50 must be awful and that it’s ‘downhill all the way’. That just isn’t true, but this nonsensical school of thought will continue unless we raise the profile of the impact this type of language can have.”

Everyday ageism is increasingly of concern to mental health experts, with evidence that it can impact people’s mental health, hasten the onset of dementia and even shorten their life expectancy.

But the report found that 40% of British people over 50 regularly experience ageism, with one in three commonly experiencing it at work, one in 10 on public transport, and one in seven while shopping.

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Those in their 30s are most guilty of using ageist language, with almost half admitting to having been ageist at some point. But while more than half of the over-50s surveyed believe that ageist language like this is unintentional, most say it has made them feel less valued (68%), unhappy (60%) and alienated (52%).

Vorderman said: “For more than two-thirds of those who are over 50 to feel badly affected by casual ageism is unacceptable. This is one of the final taboos to smash through.

“Life after 50 is a great kind of different,” she added. “It can be the best time of all: less stressful, less competitive, freer, happier, more joyful. Life at any age is there to embrace, so it’s time we stopped using ageist language, intentional or not.”

The report found that Southhampton was the most ageist city in the UK, with 46% of residents admitting they had discriminated against someone on the basis of their age, and Bristol the least, with just 20% admitting ageism.

More over-50s living in the West Midlands (42%) and Yorkshire (41%) believe that the problem of ageism is getting worse, more so than in any other UK region.

Emma Twyning at the Centre for Ageing Better welcomed the report: “These subtle but damaging messages are everywhere, from the TV shows we watch featuring “doddery but dear” characters and the “anti-ageing” face creams we buy, to the constant media reports about the “burden” of our ageing population,” she said. “The evidence suggests that this ageist societal narrative negatively impacts on our personal experiences of ageing and perhaps even our health and wellbeing.”

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: “Ageism must become as unacceptable as every other form of discrimination.” Shelley Hopkinson, public affairs manager at Independent Age, agreed, adding:“part of the problem is that people often don’t even realise that the language they’re using can be ageist or cause offence”.