The Comparative Macro-Level Ageism Index: An International Comparison.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology
• Public Policy

Background:

• Ageism, or discrimination against seniors, significantly impacts older adults' quality of life.
• Existing research lacks a standardized, macro-level measure for comparing ageism across nations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply the Comparative Macro-Level Ageism Index (CMAI) for assessing ageism in 15 OECD countries.
• To compare levels of age discrimination across different domains (economic status, health, employment, environment, social participation) in selected developed nations.

Main Methods:

• Developed the Comparative Macro-Level Ageism Index (CMAI) through literature review and Delphi method expert interviews.
• Identified five key domains and 17 indicators of ageism.
• Collected and standardized data to compare ageism scores across 15 OECD member countries.

Main Results:

• Overall ageism scores were highest in Turkey and lowest in Japan.
• Turkey showed the highest likelihood of workplace age discrimination, while South Korea had the lowest.
• South Korea scored highest for age discrimination in economic status, whereas Spain had the lowest score in this domain. Japan demonstrated favorable conditions across economic, health, and social participation domains.

Conclusions:

• Significant variations in ageism exist across OECD countries, influenced by structural factors.
• The CMAI provides a valuable tool for objective measurement and cross-national comparison of structural age discrimination.
• Further research is needed to refine objective indicators for structural age discrimination and inform policy interventions.