Beliefs of Secondary School Youth and Higher Education Students About Elderly Persons: A Comparative Survey

This paper presents a survey of beliefs of secondary school youth and higher education students about elderly persons. The survey objective was to assess youth’s beliefs about the social functioning of elderly persons in the area of healthcare and social assistance, and to prepare practical recommendations for educational work aimed at counteracting negative stereotypes concerning elderly persons. The survey was conducted as part of a research project implemented under the auspices of the Committee for Pedagogical Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The survey encompassed 1084 persons, including 588 secondary school students and 496 higher education students. The survey was conducted using the diagnostic survey method and questionnaire technique in Poland between September 2018 and February 2019. The survey indicates that the secondary school youth and higher education students surveyed manifested varied beliefs about the functioning of elderly persons in the area of healthcare and social assistance, and that statistically significant differences occur between the groups surveyed with regard to the variables analyzed. While most of the youth surveyed did not manifest stereotypical beliefs about elderly persons, higher education students had more mature and well-thought-out views. Statistically significant differences occurred in certain aspects between the groups surveyed.