Younger adults' attitudes toward aging and older adults: Do views differ by gender and sexual identity?

Ageism remains a pervasive form of prejudice, yet little work has examined how it intersects with gender and sexual identity. Using two studies and one exploratory analysis of U.S. adults aged 18-51 (total N = 698), we tested how sexual and gender identities were associated with (a) interpersonal ageism and (b) comfort with aging. For ageism, Study 1 (heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other minoritized sexual and gender populations men and women) showed that men reported greater ageist attitudes than women, with no association of sexual identity. Study 2, a preregistered follow-up limited to monosexual (gay/lesbian and heterosexual) individuals, did not replicate this gender effect. However, in exploratory Study 3, which disaggregated gay/lesbian, bisexual+, and heterosexual men and women, the association with gender reemerged. Notably, bisexual+ individuals reported the greatest ageist attitudes in these analyses. Patterns related to comfort with aging also varied: In Study 1, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other minoritized sexual and gender populations participants reported the lowest comfort (no gender effect); in Study 2, gay/lesbian women reported the lowest and heterosexual women the highest, with men not differing from women; and in Study 3, bisexual+ participants fell between monosexual groups (with no association with gender). These findings challenge stereotypes that younger lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other minoritized sexual and gender populations, especially gay men, are uniquely ageist. Instead, they suggest that gendered socialization and minority stress shape attitudes toward aging and older adults in complex ways. Understanding these dynamics is essential for designing interventions that foster intergenerational connection, reduce aging-related fears, and promote healthier aging across diverse populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).