Extra-Familial Intergenerational Contact in the Contemporary United States: Exploring Its Frequency, Nature, and Correlates

Some major studies conducted over the last forty years suggest that intergenerational contact between younger and older adults (i.e., those aged 70+) in Western contexts is scarce. However, the phrasing of questions asked in these studies leaves open the possibility that intergenerational contact might not be so rare. In Study 1 ( n = 399), we surveyed young Americans about the frequency and characteristics of their intergenerational interactions. In Study 2 ( n = 278), we surveyed a separate sample of young Americans to assess the quantity and communicative quality of their contact with older people, gather information about their intergenerational relationships, and gauge their attitudes towards aging. In Study 1, 42% of respondents had at least one friend aged 70 or older and over 60% had had contact (typically face-to-face) with an older adult during the previous week. In Study 2, the quality and quantity of contact were associated with the endorsement of prescriptive age-based stereotypes, both directly and indirectly via perceptions of common ingroup identity. Moreover, quantity and quality of contact predicted the affective responses younger adults had at the thought of growing old, and their sense of efficacy about doing so. Our results suggest that the state of intergenerational relations in the United States is less dire than some might believe, and that high-quality contact with older adults is associated not only with less negative stereotypes but also younger people feeling both less troubled by and better able to cope with their own aging.