Ageism is a sad reality in our world. Many people may respect their elders to a point, but they don’t respect the elderly. It’s especially problematic considering everyone ages, and yet it happens all the time.

What can be done to prevent it? Well, a recent study published in ‘Child Development’ shows that children who have good relationships with their grandparents are more likely to have positive views about older individuals in general.

The study, which was conducted by researchers from Belgium’s University of Liege, found that ageism is quite common in young children. It tends to dissipate when children reach ages 10-12, but children who enjoy seeing their grandparents are more likely to move away from ageist views.

"We asked children to describe how they felt about seeing their grandparents," said study leader Allison Flamion in a news release from the Society for Research in Child Development. "Those who felt unhappy were designated as having poor quality of contact. When it came to ageist views, we found that quality of contact mattered much more than frequency."

Participants in the study included 1,151 kids aged 7 to 16 who lived in French-speaking areas of Belgium. In general, most of the children had positive or neutral feelings about older people.

Kids aged 7 to 9 were the most ageist, and those aged 10 to 12 were the least. However, the study found that some early teens became more prejudiced. Children whose grandparents were in poorer health had greater prejudice than those with healthy grandparents.

"Next, we hope to explore what makes contacts with grandparents more rewarding for their grandchildren, as well as the effects on children of living with or caring for their grandparents," said study co-author Stephane Adam, a psychology professor at the University of Liege. 

Hopefully further research will help the world better understand how to get rid of ageism altogether.