Adolescent Attitudes and Beliefs toward Aging and the Elderly

This article reports the results of an oral history project that used adolescents to interview elderly informants. The adolescents had considerable misinformation about aging and anxiety about the later stages of the life cycle. They also had negative stereotypes toward the elderly. The adolescents who participated in the project expressed enthusiasm for the project and admiration for the elderly they interviewed. However, participation in the project did not significantly impact upon beliefs and attitudes toward aging or the elderly. Factors that might account for these results, and implications of these results, are discussed.