The two‐sided paradox of Ageism during the Covid‐19 pandemic: The cases of Hungary, Tunisia and Uzbekistan

Abstract

The consequences of ageing populations around the globe have necessitated policy changes that encourage people to stay in the labour force longer. Finding a job depends on two conditions: the willingness to work and employers' decisions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic created special circumstances that negatively affected the perception of older workers. Older people were particularly vulnerable to the disease, which justified government action to protect them but at the same time provoked resentment among young people. We conducted an online questionnaire survey in July and August 2020 among the citizens of Hungary, Tunisia and Uzbekistan. Our research aimed to determine the general extent of ageism during the COVID pandemic. Respondents had to possess at least a college degree – i.e. be potentially suitable for the position of human resource manager. Despite the wealth of scientific literature and our own experience, the survey results revealed only low levels of ageism because of so-called social desirability bias. Even so, the participants' responses reflected the characteristics of ageism in relation to their respective countries and living conditions. The small variations in the answers were also enough to provide useful information. Structural equation modelling was used to obtain results.