DIA Study: Younger People Report Age Discrimination More Frequently Than Older People

In the Senior Professionals working group, Fondsfrauen address issues such as age discrimination. The participating women report that, in some cases, they are confronted with being “too old” for certain positions as early as age 50. All the more surprising, then, are the results of the latest survey from the DIA Study 50plus, from which the German Institute for Retirement Provisions has released some initial findings in advance.

Around Half the Population Has Experienced Age Discrimination
According to the survey, 15 percent of people in Germany report having personally experienced age discrimination in some form, while another 15 percent have witnessed it in their environment. In addition, six percent of respondents have both experienced age discrimination themselves and observed it in others around them. A total of 52 percent of participants in the survey stated that they have never had any such experience.

Significant Age Gap
One particularly striking finding: the proportion of people who report such experiences decreases significantly with age. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 25 percent report having personally experienced discrimination due to their age. Among those aged 60 and over, only 11 percent say the same. The age gap is even more pronounced when it comes to observed discrimination in one's environment. In the youngest age group (18 to 29), 28 percent report such observations. Among those aged 60 and older, only six percent have witnessed something similar. Conversely, the group that has never experienced age discrimination in any form behaves in a mirror-like way. Thirty percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say they have had no such experience, compared to 75 percent of those aged 60 and above.

The Term “Age Discrimination” May Be Broader Than Expected
“The latest DIA Study 50plus presents an unexpected picture of age discrimination. It is usually associated with people in their mid-50s and older. But evidently, a significant share of much younger people also feel disadvantaged because of their age,” explains DIA spokesperson Klaus Morgenstern in interpreting the survey results. It may be necessary to define the concept of age discrimination much more broadly than has been the case so far.

Perhaps age is also sometimes used as an excuse. “Too young,” “too old,” “too something else.” Identifying the actual reasons why someone is not selected for a specific position is quite difficult to determine in a study.

The representative survey was conducted on behalf of the German Institute for Retirement Provisions INSA Consulere and took place online from March 24 to April 7, 2025. A total of 3,000 people in Germany aged 18 and over participated. The survey is based on the ongoing telephone survey INSA-Perpetua Demoscopia. The full study will be published in the coming months.

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