Family income and attitudes toward older people in China: comparison of two age cohorts

Three hundred and five traditional college students and 159 baby boomers (40–55 years old) in China participated in the study with Kogan’s Attitude toward Old People [Kogan (1961) Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 62(1), 44–54] being used. Results from ANOVA showed overall, baby boomers held more positive attitudes toward older people than college students. There was a significant interaction effect between cohorts and family income; that is, the lower family income group in both samples did not differ significantly from each other, it was in the higher family income group that difference was revealed. Baby Boomers in the higher family income group held more positive attitudes toward older people than students in the same family income group. Gender was not a significant factor in either sample. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that family income was a significant predictor of attitude in the Baby Boomer sample, but not in the college student sample.