oa Ziet men een tegenstelling tussen jong en oud?

Do people perceive a conflict between the young and old? A study on the influence of social identification, competition, and contact

In this study we ask to what extent the Dutch population perceives a conflict between the young and old and how we can explain this. We use Social Identification Theory, Realistic Conflict Theory, and Contact Theory to derive hypotheses. These are tested with newly collected data on a representative sample of the Dutch population which are analyzed with Structural Equation Modelling. A considerable part of the population perceives conflicting interests between the young and old, but fewer people see a real conflict. In line with Realistic Conflict Theory people who experience incompatible interests between age groups in the labor market also perceive a larger conflict between young and old. We do not find that people who identify stronger with a certain age group (Social Identification Theory) or who have a more age-homogeneous network (Contact Theory) perceive more conflict. A weak economic position seems to be a predictor of experiencing all kinds of conflict in society, including one between age groups.