AARP Report: Ageist Stereotypes in Online Images Declining

While past images often portrayed older adults in medical or financial settings, or living in retirement communities, nearly three-quarters of the 2023 images analyzed showed older adults at home, the researchers said, up from 39 percent in 2018.

AARP research shows nearly 80 percent of adults 50 and older wish to remain in their homes as they age, “and this trend has been more prominently reflected in the media in recent years,” the report said.

The study also found 80 percent of images pictured older adults wearing fashionable attire, compared to just 47 percent in 2018.

The progress aligns with work the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) has been doing with its members in recent years to promote diversity, which includes age, said Cathy Chan Butler, the organization’s executive vice president of talent, equity and learning solutions.

She noted that people 50 and older do most of the consumer spending. The 50-plus population already accounted for half of global consumer spending ($35 trillion) in 2020 and will account for nearly 60 percent ($96 trillion) by 2050, a 2022 AARP report found.

Paul Irving, senior adviser at the Milken Institute for the Future of Aging, said the improvement is not surprising. He pointed to the Emmy for best comedy awarded this month to Hacks, in which 73-year-old Jean Smart plays a 60-year-old comedian, and noted the recent rise of older influencers on social media as broader examples of aging being portrayed more positively in media.

“There’s much more attention being paid to older consumers in fashion, in hospitality, in health and other sectors,” he said. “The good news is things are moving — and I think moving in the right direction. If there’s bad news, it's that it’s not moving fast enough.”

More work needed

Even with this progress, a July 2024 AARP survey found most older adults still think more should be done to fight ageist portrayals in ads. Sixty-seven percent of adults 50-plus agreed with the statement “I wish ads had more realistic images of people my age,” up from 62 percent in 2021. One in 5 said they had decided not to buy from a brand based on age stereotypes in its advertising.

Some key areas for improvement suggested in the latest report:

• Older adults at work. Brands and marketers still fall short when it comes to images of older adults in the workplace. Adults 50 and older make up over a third of the workforce, but only 14 percent of the online images portrayed older adults at their jobs — a percentage virtually unchanged since 2018.

• Older adults and family. The report found significantly fewer images showing older adults enjoying family relationships. Just 9 percent of images pictured adults in family situations in 2023, down from 17 percent five years earlier. Even fewer — 6 percent — showed older adults interacting with their grandchildren, down from 13 percent in 2018.

• Older adults and mobility challenges. While the shift toward portraying active adults is positive, marketers shouldn’t exclude older adults with mobility challenges, the report cautioned. Only 1 percent of images pictured an older adult using a mobility aid such as a cane or wheelchair, even though 12 percent of adults 50-plus use such devices.

“As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.… The images we see shape what we think and can even influence how we act towards one another,” said AARP’s Boudreau. “Studies like these point the way forward and give us a solid road map for how to continue to make things better."