Students’ Attitudes and Intention to Work with Older Adults in the Era of COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract. We surveyed 377 undergraduates, half in the spring (i.e., before COVID-19) and half in the fall (i.e., during COVID-19) term of 2020 on explicit attitudes toward and intention to work with older adults (OAs). We asked open-ended questions about their attitudes toward OAs resulting from COVID-19. We found significant differences with small effect sizes between the cohorts on explicit ageism. Thematic content analyses found that most students themselves did not perceive a change in their explicit attitudes toward OAs. Negative ageism predicted intention to work with OAs for the spring cohort, but this shifted to positive ageism for the fall cohort.