Around three quarters of people aged 50 and over believe there is a programming bias in favour of younger people on UK television, and three in five feel that older characters featured in dramas are often stereotypes.
The findings are the results of a survey carried out by Saga Magazine, which saw 9.441 people aged over 50 respond.
It found that 74% of people over 50 agree there is a programming bias towards young audiences, while 60% feel the needs and interests of people aged 50 and over are ignored by programme makers.
In addition, 56% believe older characters in TV soaps and dramas are often stereotypes, and a third - 32% - feel there are too few older characters on television.
The survey also found that 68% believe there is “clear evidence of ageism” against older presenters on television, with 81% claiming ageism is more evident against women.
A quarter of those who responded feel ageism is more evident on the BBC.
Responding to the claims in an interview with Saga, BBC creative director Alan Yentob said the “BBC is not ageist and not anti-women”.
“Most of the people who run the BBC are women. They have very significant power and they make decisions about who appears. I acknowledge there are fewer older women than men in front of the camera, but there are significant older women with stature in television,” he said.
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