054
Chapter 5
Impact of the age awareness workshop
Figure 14. FSA items with the most notable changes in perception
‘There should be special clubs set aside within sports facilities
so that old people can compete at their own level’
06
Pre-workshop
28%
72%
Follow-up
55%
45%
‘Many old people are not interested in making new friends
preferring instead the circle of friends they have had for years’
Pre-workshop
79%
21%
Follow-up
6%
94%
Agreed
Disagreed
In the pre-workshop survey, most respondents (72%) agreed or strongly agreed there should be
special clubs set aside for older adults within sports facilities. At follow-up, a smaller percentage of
respondents (55%) supported this idea. Although this statement is intended to assess discriminatory
attitudes against older adults, it likely also captures benevolent attitudes – particularly relating to
overprotective and paternalistic treatment of older adults.
Another statement that showed considerable change was, ‘Many old people are not interested in
making new friends preferring instead the circle of friends they have had for years’, which measures
prejudice against older adults. Prior to the workshop, about one in five respondents (21%) agreed
or strongly agreed with this statement, whereas only 6% of the respondents accepted this view at
follow‑up.
These results indicate a reduction in discriminatory attitudes and prejudice against older adults
following the workshop.
(c)
12-Item Expectations Regarding Ageing Scale
Comparisons of the average scores from pre-workshop and post-workshop surveys found that
respondents’ attitudes regarding ageing became more positive upon completion of the workshop and
remained as positive at follow-up, 2–3 months later.