Latest news with #olderpeople
Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Bloomberg
UK Heat Wave to Make It Harder to Sleep as Health Alerts Raised
UK authorities upgraded health alerts for England as heat wave conditions are forecast to see London reach 34C (93F) by Saturday. The British capital will reach 32C on Thursday as a stream of hot air drives up temperatures across the country this week. The UK Health Security Agency raised the alert level to amber for all English regions until 9 a.m. on Monday, warning of significant risks to children, older people and those with health conditions.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Older people ‘bombarded' with ads for funerals, care homes and mobility aids
Older people say they are being 'bombarded' by campaigns for funeral services, care homes and mobility aids by 'out-of-touch' mainstream advertising, a study has found. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said more than a third of the UK population (35%) agreed that older people tended to be negatively stereotyped in ads, with other depictions such as forgetfulness, frailty or not being able to use technology also seen as potentially offensive. While not offensive, depictions such as older people always being wealthy or grumpy, or ads that showed them doing extreme and unrealistic activities, were found to be cliched and irritating. Almost half (49%) said ads using humour at the expense of older people were likely to cause offence. Some 44% believed that older people were either underrepresented or not represented at all in ads, particularly in categories like fashion, beauty, technology and household goods. Respondents also raised concerns about how ads were targeted, saying they felt 'bombarded' by promotions for end-of-life services such as funerals or cremations, life insurance and care homes. The ASA's report, based on focus groups and a survey of 4,000 UK adults, said older people were not only living longer but also continuing to lead full, active lives, contributing to workplaces, families, communities and the economy for longer. However, many of those surveyed said that advertising too often painted a 'very different and outdated picture'. The watchdog said ads showing older people as lonely, purposeless or powerless could be harmful – especially for those aged 75 and over, for whom these portrayals reinforced fears about ageing and social isolation. It also flagged beauty ads that suggested ageing must be 'fought' as potentially harmful. In particular, women aged 65 and over recognised the potential for these ads to cause harm to the self-esteem of women of all ages. The ASA said the findings suggested the ad industry may be 'out of touch' with the reality of ageing. Instead, the public wanted advertising to focus on individuals rather than their age, and portray a diverse range of later-life experiences. The ASA said: 'When ads show older people as vibrant, capable and real, they help rewrite the story of ageing and how we perceive older generations. 'Not only this, but older people represent a significant market with substantial spending power, making them a vital audience for brands that want to stay relevant. 'While we're not currently proposing any new rules, we're hoping that by sharing this research, advertisers will understand how some portrayals of older people are landing with the public today – and where there may be unintended consequences.' Kam Atwal, research lead at the ASA, said: 'As a society, we're living longer, richer and more varied lives. 'Our research reveals that some of today's portrayals of older people in advertising are not being received positively, and that the public want ads to better reflect the varied lives older people lead today. 'This is a real opportunity for brands to embrace the true diversity of later life and take a leading role in challenging outdated perceptions.' Harriet Bailiss, co-head of the Age Without Limits campaign, run by the Centre for Ageing Better charity, said: 'We really welcome this excellent report from the ASA. 'We live in a society where ageism is the most common form of discrimination. We should all want that to end and we all have a role to play in making that happen. 'Advertising has such a powerful influence on society and can help bring about that change and be a force for good, as it has already been for changing other outdated perceptions.'
The Independent
13 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Older people stereotyped as rich and grumpy in ‘offensive' adverts, watchdog says
Elderly people are too often stereotyped as grumpy, wealthy or forgetful in offensive and harmful adverts, a watchdog has warned. In new research carried out by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a third of respondents thought older people tended to be negatively portrayed in adverts. The survey of 4,000 people also found older people were being 'bombarded' by campaigns for funeral services, care homes and mobility aids. Depictions of the elderly as lacking purpose, frail, isolated and showing ageing as something to be fought were viewed as the most likely to cause harm, the survey found – given their potential to reinforce fears about growing older and social isolation. Adverts making jokes at the expense of older people, and those depicting them as forgetful or unable to understand technology, were seen to be among the most likely to cause offence, or else to be irritating to viewers. The ASA's report said older people were not only living longer but also continuing to lead full, active lives, contributing to workplaces, families, communities and the economy for longer. However, many of those surveyed said that advertising too often painted a 'very different and outdated picture', while the watchdog said its finding suggested the advertising industry may be 'out of touch' with the reality of ageing. Instead, the public wanted advertising to focus on individuals rather than their age, and portray a diverse range of later-life experiences. One advert highlighted by the watchdog as 'a good example of the subjectivity of humour and its link to offence' was a TV ad for Strathmore Foods, in which an elderly man is proudly cleaning his car only for it to be hit by a muddy football. The man is seen to lose his temper with a child who shouts: 'Oi grandad, give us my ball back', before the screen cuts to him contentedly tucking into a McIntosh of Strathmore ready meal, with the punctured football placed next to him on the table with a knife sticking out of it. Describing the award-winning advert as 'polarising', the watchdog said: 'Several [focus group] participants enjoyed the humorous tone taken in the ad. Not only did it go some way to show older people still have a sense of humour, but also that older people still have 'spirit' or 'feistiness' that is not usually shown in ads. 'However, others felt the humorous tone and portrayal could cause offence as it reinforced stereotypes of older people as grumpy and intolerant of younger generations. The focus on the older man living alone and eating a ready meal, was also felt to imply that all older people are lonely and isolated. 'There were other, underlying concerns about the themes in the ad including intergenerational conflict, knife crime and vindictiveness.' Another advert viewed as potentially harmful by focus groups was a LinkedIn ad in which a woman is interviewed about what her son does for work, saying: 'He says he sells clouds, he works in a cloud company and sells clouds to other companies that want clouds ... He says they're invisible. Maybe I shouldn't have let him play so many video games.' A voiceover then says: 'Parents don't get B2B. LinkedIn does.' The watchdog said the focus on the woman in the advert was 'entirely on her age' and felt 'demeaning with potential to impact an older person's confidence and societal views toward older peoples' ability to use tech'. While the focus group participants acknowledged that extremes seen in adverts could be representative of the lives of some older people, these portrayals were not considered accurate reflections of the lives of most older people, the watchdog said. Other extreme depictions highlighted by focus groups were adverts showing older people as: either physically inactive or taking part in extreme sports; either universally poor or universally wealthy; or, for women, either 'frumpy and unfashionable' or 'airbrushed and 'youthful' looking'. The ASA said: 'When ads show older people as vibrant, capable and real, they help rewrite the story of ageing and how we perceive older generations. 'Not only this, but older people represent a significant market with substantial spending power, making them a vital audience for brands that want to stay relevant. 'While we're not currently proposing any new rules, we're hoping that by sharing this research, advertisers will understand how some portrayals of older people are landing with the public today – and where there may be unintended consequences.'
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Older people ‘bombarded' with ads for funerals, care homes and mobility aids
Older people say they are being 'bombarded' by campaigns for funeral services, care homes and mobility aids by 'out-of-touch' mainstream advertising, a study has found. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said more than a third of the UK population (35%) agreed that older people tended to be negatively stereotyped in ads, with other depictions such as forgetfulness, frailty or not being able to use technology also seen as potentially offensive. While not offensive, depictions such as older people always being wealthy or grumpy, or ads that showed them doing extreme and unrealistic activities, were found to be cliched and irritating. Almost half (49%) said ads using humour at the expense of older people were likely to cause offence. Some 44% believed that older people were either underrepresented or not represented at all in ads, particularly in categories like fashion, beauty, technology and household goods. Respondents also raised concerns about how ads were targeted, saying they felt 'bombarded' by promotions for end-of-life services such as funerals or cremations, life insurance and care homes. The ASA's report, based on focus groups and a survey of 4,000 UK adults, said older people were not only living longer but also continuing to lead full, active lives, contributing to workplaces, families, communities and the economy for longer. However, many of those surveyed said that advertising too often painted a 'very different and outdated picture'. The watchdog said ads showing older people as lonely, purposeless or powerless could be harmful – especially for those aged 75 and over, for whom these portrayals reinforced fears about ageing and social isolation. It also flagged beauty ads that suggested ageing must be 'fought' as potentially harmful. In particular, women aged 65 and over recognised the potential for these ads to cause harm to the self-esteem of women of all ages. The ASA said the findings suggested the ad industry may be 'out of touch' with the reality of ageing. Instead, the public wanted advertising to focus on individuals rather than their age, and portray a diverse range of later-life experiences. The ASA said: 'When ads show older people as vibrant, capable and real, they help rewrite the story of ageing and how we perceive older generations. 'Not only this, but older people represent a significant market with substantial spending power, making them a vital audience for brands that want to stay relevant. 'While we're not currently proposing any new rules, we're hoping that by sharing this research, advertisers will understand how some portrayals of older people are landing with the public today – and where there may be unintended consequences.' Kam Atwal, research lead at the ASA, said: 'As a society, we're living longer, richer and more varied lives. 'Our research reveals that some of today's portrayals of older people in advertising are not being received positively, and that the public want ads to better reflect the varied lives older people lead today. 'This is a real opportunity for brands to embrace the true diversity of later life and take a leading role in challenging outdated perceptions.' Harriet Bailiss, co-head of the Age Without Limits campaign, run by the Centre for Ageing Better charity, said: 'We really welcome this excellent report from the ASA. 'We live in a society where ageism is the most common form of discrimination. We should all want that to end and we all have a role to play in making that happen. 'Advertising has such a powerful influence on society and can help bring about that change and be a force for good, as it has already been for changing other outdated perceptions.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
UK watchdog criticises ‘offensive' portrayal of older people in adverts
An elderly man fires off a tirade at a child who has asked 'grandad' to return a mud-covered football that has landed on his gleaming car. He is then seen eating a microwave dinner for one and chuckling, with the now-deflated ball pinned to the table next to him by a large kitchen knife. The TV advert for the Scotland-based Strathmore Foods, maker of the McIntosh of Strathmore ready meals stocked by most big supermarket chains, has been identified in a report by the UK advertising watchdog as showing an 'offensive' portrayal of older people – by stereotyping them as grumpy and intolerant, and implying many are lonely and isolated. The report by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says too many brands are behind the times when it comes to the issue of ageing in advertising. It says older people feel they are bombarded with adverts for funeral services, care homes and mobility aids. Many older people feel invisible because a lot of advertising reduces them to outdated stereotypes, the report says. A survey and focus groups involving 4,000 adults of all ages found that more than a third thought people over the age of 55 tended to be negatively stereotyped in ads. Almost half said ads that showed older people as unable to understand or use technology were potentially offensive. More than a fifth of those surveyed believed that depicting ageing as something to be 'fought', especially in beauty advertising, had the potential to cause harm by influencing how an older person saw themselves, or how society might view and treat them. Focus groups comprising a range of different age groups were shown 34 ads featuring older people made by brands including Amazon, Cadbury, Land Rover, L'Oréal, Pure Cremation and Tesco. An ad by the Microsoft-owned LinkedIn, which used the strapline 'Parents don't get B2B', was considered the most likely to cause harm. 'If you think other people think you are stupid and that's how you come across, I don't think that is good for self-esteem,' said one female participant. An ad for the fashion brand JD Williams that featured older women in bright, colourful and 'trendy' clothes used the strapline 'Feeling more girlfriend than grandma'. 'I can imagine some older women seeing beauty ads and thinking the goal for women is to look 20 years younger,' said one participant. 'As if that is what will make you feel happier. This could be quite harmful because it forces an ideal on older women. It is kind of pushing the idea that they should aim to look young.' Some of those surveyed felt it was a positive and atypical depiction of older women, while others felt it reinforced the idea that ageing was a negative thing and that women were not going to look or feel good unless they tried to fight the process. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Nearly half of those surveyed said ads using humour at the expense of older people were likely to cause offence. And more than a third said they found stereotypical portrayals of older people, such as always being wealthy, grumpy or only mixing with older people, to be irritating. Survey respondents also raised concerns about how ads were targeted, saying they were frequently shown promotions for 'end-of-life' services – such as funeral or cremation services, life insurance and care homes – in media that supposedly drew a higher proportion of older people than others, such as daytime TV. And 44% of those surveyed believed older people were either underrepresented or not represented at all in ads, particularly in categories such as fashion, beauty, technology and household goods. Kam Atwal, the research lead at the ASA, said: 'As a society, we're living longer, richer and more varied lives. Our research reveals that some of today's portrayals of older people in advertising are not being received positively, and that the public wants ads to better reflect the varied lives older people lead today.' Strathmore has been approached for comment.
