Exploring children\u27s attitudes towards old people and ageing

Populacija starejših se bo v naslednjih desetletjih močno povečala, zato je vzpostavljanje pozitivnega odnosa do starejših in staranja izjemnega pomena za medgeneracijsko razumevanje in kakovostno življenje v poznih letih. Odnos mlajših do starejših ljudi je v veliki meri odvisen od tega, kakšen odnos otroci razvijejo do njih in do staranja že v zgodnjih letih svojega življenja. V empiričnem delu smo raziskovali, kako določeni dejavniki vplivajo na otrokov odnos do starejših in staranja. V vzorec smo zajeli 451 otrok iz cele Slovenije v starosti od 9 do 13 let. Analizo podatkov smo izvedli z orodjem Orange. S pomočjo modelov za strojno učenje smo na podlagi podatkov ugotovili, katere spremenljivke v največji meri vplivajo na odnos do starejših in staranja. V raziskavi smo ugotovili, da je otrokov odnos do starejših in staranja v povprečju pozitiven, a je v veliki meri odvisen od tega, na kakšen način zastavljamo vprašanja, kakšen je njihov odnos do bližnjih starejših, koliko aktivnega časa preživijo z njimi, kakšno je njihovo znanje o staranju in še številnih drugih dejavnikov. Pridobljene ugotovitve lahko pripomorejo k oblikovanju strategij za boljše medgeneracijsko povezovanje in zmanjševanje negativnih starostnih stereotipov. Ti vplivajo tako neposredno na starejše posameznike kot tudi posredno na odnos do lastnega staranja in na kvaliteto življenja v zrelih letih.The population of the elderly will widely increase in the coming decades, so establishing a positive attitude towards the elderly and ageing is of great importance for intergenerational understanding and quality of life in later years. The children attitude towards the elderly and ageing largely depends on what kind of attitude children develop in the early years of their lives. In the empirical part, we investigated how certain factors affect a child\u27s attitude towards the elderly and ageing. The sample included 451 children from all over Slovenia aged 9 to 13 years. We performed data analysis with the Orange tool. With the help of machine learning models, we determined which variables have the highest influence on the attitude towards the elderly and ageing. In the research, we found that children\u27s attitudes towards the elderly and ageing are on average positive, but they largely depend on how we ask questions, what is their attitude towards close older family members, how much active time they spend with them, what is their knowledge of ageing and many other factors. The findings can help to develop strategies for better intergenerational integration and the reduction of negative age stereotypes. These have an impact directly on older individuals as well as indirectly on the attitude towards children own ageing and the quality of life in old age