Factors affecting ageism among university students: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the extent of ageism among domestic university students in South Korea and identify influencing factors while controlling for social desirability bias. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study involved 312 students from a nationwide panel and four universities located in G Province, administered online. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0, employing descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, Welch’s ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical regression analysis methods. Results: Controlling for social desirability, the most potent predictors of ageism were the images about older adults (β=-.29, p<.001), knowledge about aging (β=-.24, p<.001), and the quality of interaction (β=-.20, p<.001), explaining 39% of the variance. Anxiety about aging did not emerge as a significant predictor in the final model. Conclusion: The findings underscore the critical importance of promoting accurate knowledge about aging, fostering positive images of older adults, and improving intergenerational interactions to combat ageism. These results provide a theoretical foundation for interventions aimed at reducing ageism.