HelpAge India Report 2025

The ‘Stereotype Negative Bias’ Score – which captured youth alignment with restrictive views about elders – revealed that youth agree moderately with numerous stereotypical views about elders, primarily relating to their physical health and perceived inflexibility in ideologies. Interestingly enough, the stereotype scores were larger for youth with high proximity to elders (63.70 out of 100), compared to youth with low proximity (59.63).

When youth attitudes relating to value and respect were gauged, the results indicated strong positive views towards the elderly, along with an awareness about their own responsibility in supporting elders.

 The report notes that 54 per cent of the surveyed elders feel negatively about growing old. Emotions like weakness, dependence and neglect are felt more acutely by young elders aged between 60 and 70 years (57 per cent of the surveyed group), males (56 per cent), and those who are financially independent (64 per cent), among others.

Youth report talking to their grandparent elders more often than parents. From the elders’ point of view, a male-forward picture comes into focus. They report talking most to their sons (as reported by 50 per cent of the surveyed group) and grandsons (at 40 per cent). Contact with daughters and granddaughters lag behind by at least 10 per cent, standing at 30 per cent and 29 per cent respectively. The report attributes this trend to the patrilocal living patterns commonly observed across the country, with sons being seen as the unquestioned caretakers of parents during their old age.

While the experiences of youth and elders converge uniformly when it comes to face-to-face interactions, significant disparity is observed when it comes to digital modes of interaction. Elders disclose lower levels of engagement on phone calls, video calls, social media and written communication.

While 73 per cent of the elders express strong emotional proximity to youth, there are trends to be observed by age and financial independence, among other metrics. Emotional closeness decreases with age, the report notes. Young elders report an average closeness of 4.28 on a scale of 1–5, while those aged above 80 years only report 3.83 on the same scale. However, the relationship is more direct when it comes to financial independence. Financially secure elders report an emotional bonding of 4.35, while fully dependent elders only score 4.01.

The report notes that 72 per cent of the surveyed elders report positively contributing through sharing advice and life experience. Half the group revealed that they help with childcare, while 47 per cent of the group reported contributing through household work. Only 7 per cent of the elders felt like current non-contributors, and the report hypothesises that these elders are probably aged over 80 years, fully dependent or living alone.

While 71 per cent of the elders surveyed know to use a basic mobile phone, the numbers fall significantly when it comes to being digital through the use of smartphones, computers, social media and online services.

The busy schedule of youth is seen as the biggest barrier to intergenerational communication by elders (76 per cent) and youth (74 per cent) alike. Interestingly, both the parties also judge the other to be lacking interest in communicating with each other – 40 per cent of the elders and 39 per cent of the youth feel this way.

Both youth and elders fear the loneliness, poor health and financial insecurity that are seen to accompany old age. While the two groups fear the same things, in the same order, every aspect is feared more by youth than elders, with poor health highlighting the highest difference.

Focus and Factoids by Nandini Ranganathan.

PARI Library's health archive project is part of an initiative supported by the Azim Premji University to develop a free-access repository of health-related reports relevant to rural India.