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May 2021
New report probes intergenerational concerns in pandemic times

The University of Brighton has teamed with South East England Forum on Ageing (SEEFA) to explore potential intergenerational conflicts highlighted by COVID-19.

The report study – Understanding fairness between different generations in times of COVID-19 - was led by Dr Lizzie Ward, Principal Research Fellow in the School of Humanities and Social Science. It was carried out under the auspices of the Care, Emotional Health and Well-being Research and Enterprise Group.

The study surveyed perceptions and understandings among older and younger generations regarding inter-generational differences – as well as shared concerns - within the context of the coronavirus pandemic, exploring potential areas of tensions such as the need to protect older people versus ensuring an economic future for younger people.

The perception that the needs of one social group outweigh the needs of another puts a spotlight on broader existing debates about intergenerational divides, sometimes presented starkly as older people enjoying long-standing privileges and benefits, while younger people face hardships and uncertainty beyond their control.

Lizzie Ward said: “Overall, there appears to be a mutual recognition of the challenges each generation is facing and shared concerns in both generations about the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.”

The pandemic has also generated greater awareness of social care and the ways in which we look after older people with care needs, and exposed serious shortcomings in social care systems.

Peter Dale, Chair of SEEFA, said: “Seeking the views of older and younger people is a first step in establishing whether there is common ground between the generations, whether there is an appetite for an approach that unites the generations and creates a better world for all of us”.

Click below to read the Report:

Understanding fairness between different generations
in times of COVID-19

Lizzie Ward, Stephanie Fleischer and Lee Towers
University of Brighton Research report
In collaboration with SEEFA.

April 2022
New Narrative on Ageing -

1. Intergenerational Unfairness: Myth or Reality?

Our New Narrative on Ageing publication set out to challenge society's negative attitudes towards older people by presenting clear evidence to refute a number of commonly-held assumptions that contribute to such attitudes becoming embedded in people's perceptions of ageing: in particular, that older people are a "net drain" on our society.

The coronavirus pandemic appears to have significantly blunted this challenge.  It has fostered ageism and created division between younger and older generations.  At the same time, it has exposed the reality and inadequacy of the social care system, particularly residential care.  Now more than ever, therefore, it is vitally important to reinforce the case for a more positive view of older people and ageing.

While appearing to have the best interests of older people at heart, the response to the pandemic has resulted in:

- the presentation of older people as frail and vulnerable;

- support for their segregation from the rest of society;

- significant limitations placed on the rights of individuals living in care homes;

- a resentment that drastic measures affecting business and the economy, as well as restrictions on people's lives, have all been implemented to protect older people to the detriment of the rest of the population.

Our pamphlet Intergenerational Unfairness: Myth or Reality?  focuses on three myths that have had perhaps the most damaging impact on society's regard for older people:

- older people enjoy privilege at the expense of younger people;

- life for older people was much easier when they were young than it is for today's younger generation;

- older people contribute little socially and economically to society while younger people shoulder the burden for their care

While recognising the real challenges faced by younger people, this pamphlet seeks to set the record straight by presenting evidence that, far from enjoying advantage and privilege, older people also face difficulty and hardship; and that far from being a drain resources, they make a largely unrecognised valuable contribution to society.