What is ageism in social terms?

• A. Bias against age groups
• B. Favoritism toward older adults
• C. Neutral policy
• D. Determinants of health outcomes

Answer: (A)

Ageism is a form of social bias where people are treated differently or judged unfairly simply because of their age. It involves beliefs that certain ages are better or worse, and it leads to discrimination in areas like work, healthcare, housing, and how people are portrayed in media. In everyday life, you might hear assumptions that older adults can’t learn new things or that younger people are irresponsible, which are examples of ageist attitudes. When institutions or policies reflect these biases, access to opportunities or resources can be uneven based on age.

The option describing bias against age groups best captures this phenomenon because it directly points to prejudice and discriminatory behavior tied to age. The other choices don’t describe ageism: favoritism toward older adults is the opposite of bias against age groups; a neutral policy involves no prejudice; determinants of health outcomes are about factors influencing health, not age-based prejudice.