Exploring potential prejudice toward older adult mobility device users.

Many older adults require assistive technology to maintain mobility (e.g., canes, walkers, wheelchairs, or scooters), but concerns about experiencing prejudice because of mobility devices can deter use. We explore this potential prejudice in a sample recruited through online crowdsourcing. Overall, prejudice toward older adult mobility device users was not observed. Older adult mobility device users were evaluated more positively than common prejudice target groups. However, heightened prejudice toward older adult mobility device users was observed among those higher in authoritarianism or social dominance orientation. This was explained by perceptions that older adult mobility device users are a greater threat to resources (e.g., health care spending, time, attention) among those higher in these qualities. This pattern was present at all ages assessed but was stronger for those who were younger versus older. Relationships between ideology and heightened threat from older adult mobility device users were not present for those older than 60 years of age. Our results demonstrate that concerns about this prejudice are not completely unwarranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).