First- and Third-Person Perceptions of Images of Older People in Advertising: An Inter-Generational Evaluation

Abstract

With the baby boomers increasing in age, the number of older Americans is projected to increase to 82 million by 2050, an increase of 225% from the year 2000. But despite their growing numbers, older individuals continue to face negative attitudes toward them, their way of thinking, and their abilities. These negative attitudes result from the assumption that older people have diminished physical and mental abilities, when in fact, today's older adults are more active and in better physical and mental health than those in any previous generation. This study examines the relationship between first- and third-person perceptions and positive and negative images by determining how older people and younger people perceive each other. More specifically, when older and younger individuals look at positive and negative images of older people in advertisements, what is their perception of the effects those images will have on the other generation? Our findings show that both first- and third-person effects exist and that their perceptions depend on whether the images in the advertisements are positive or negative. The results also indicate that young people rely on the stereotypes they hold of older people when making their perceptions.