This article examines how the social expectations of the general public concerning the economic contribution of older people (country-level explanatory variable) affect the entrepreneurial activity of ageing individuals (individual-level dependent variable). A multilevel analysis based on data from 24 European countries finds that the perceived economic contribution of older people is negatively associated with entrepreneurial activity at an older age. The article suggests that the negative effect may be due to a higher perceived economic contribution of ageing people leading to less ageism in the workplace and a higher demand for older workers in the labour market, which undermines the relative attractiveness of starting a business.
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