Chronological Age and Subjective Perception of the Old-Age Threshold: An Empirical Verification of the Age-Group Dissociation Effect Using European Social Survey Data

Abstract

As people get older, they perceive old age as starting later. Such phenomenon is explained by the so-called “age-group dissociation effect.” Since old people (as a part of society) and old age (as a stage of life) are the source of negative connotations, people tend to mentally distance from them in order to avoid stigma and to improve personal well-being. This study aims to investigate the impact of the attitude towards old people on the mental distance separating from the old-age threshold. Using data from European Social Survey (round 4), two measurement tools were developed: Ageism Index (AI) and Modified Mental Distance (MMD). The obtained results indicated no linear relationship between these two parameters. As so, no empirical evidence that supports the “age-group dissociation effect” hypothesis was found.