A new online petition is urging the UK government to launch a public inquiry focused on addressing age discrimination and ageism in the country.
The petition, created by Dennis Reed from the campaign group Silver Voices, seeks to shed light on the issue and find ways to combat the negative stereotypes and blatant discrimination faced by older individuals in various sectors of society.
Petition background
Dennis Reed, the creator of the petition, has been proactive in advocating for the welfare of older people. In the past year, he successfully initiated and posted two petitions to increase the payment rates of the New and Basic State Pensions, aiming to help older individuals cope with the cost of living crisis.
Another petition he posted demanded guaranteed Freeview TV and radio channel access through aerials for millions of older individuals. Each of these petitions surpassed the 10,000 signature threshold on the official petitions-parliament website, prompting responses from the UK government. Now, his latest petition on age discrimination has achieved a similar milestone in just a few weeks.
Objectives of the petition
The petition titled 'Set up a public inquiry into age discrimination and ageism in the UK' addresses the systemic nature of age discrimination in British society. It highlights that negative stereotypes about older people serve as justification for discrimination across various sectors of the economy.
The petition further argues that the Equalities and Human Rights Commission's efforts have fallen short in grasping the scale of the problem, necessitating the establishment of a public inquiry to delve deeper into the issue.
Findings from Silver Voices survey
Mr. Reed presented findings from a Silver Voices survey conducted with over 1,000 individuals aged over 60. The survey revealed that a significant majority of respondents had encountered "negative ageist attitudes by the public and direct age discrimination" within the finance or insurance sectors.
Moreover, the survey found that more than half of the participants missed out on retail special offers or services due to their inability to make digital payments. The increasing trend of businesses and public bodies mandating app usage for accessing services is exacerbating these problems for older individuals.
Call to action
The petition concludes by emphasizing that the public inquiry should propose effective strategies to eradicate ageism from UK society. It has garnered support from 10,584 signatures across the UK, and the UK government is expected to respond to it before December 20, 2023.