Personality Trait Correlates of Attitudes toward Older People

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine whether personalty is related to attitudes toward older people. To address this question, a sample of 228 students and gerontology practitioners completed the Aging Opinion Survey, the Cattell 16 Personality Factors Test, and a demographic questionnaire. When the influence of age, sex, education, and social desirability are controlled, a constellation of personality traits remains significantly related to attitudes toward older people. Specific trait-attitude correlations are described, and traits related to positive attitudes toward older people are shown to fit within three personality groupings: low anxiety traits, sensitive-intuition traits, and intellectual ability. These traits combined with demographic variables account for up to 30 percent of the variance in attitudes toward older people. The results of this study indicate that personality traits are clearly related to attitudes toward older people.