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Public perception and stigma against elderly offenders and associated factors
Author(s)
Date Issued
2026
Conference
Citation
Mok, C. T. & Lam, Y. H. (2026). Public perception and stigma against elderly offenders and associated factors. 2026 Asian Conference on Applied Psychology.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Population aging has contributed to a rise in crimes committed by older adults, yet public
stigma toward elderly offenders remains an under-researched area. This mixed-methods study
investigated public perceptions of elderly offenders and the psychological factors shaping stigma,
specifically comparing sexual and non-sexual offenses. A sample of 147 adults (N = 147) completed
measures including the Attitudes Toward Prisoners Scale, a multidimensional stigma scale, the
Big Five personality traits, and social media exposure. Quantitative analyses revealed significantly
higher levels of stigma toward elderly sexual offenders across all dimensions compared to nonsexual offenders (p < .001), supporting the “double deviance” hypothesis. Mediation analyses using
Hayes’ (2022) PROCESS macro indicated that personality traits do not influence attitudes directly;
instead, Neuroticism predicted more negative attitudes indirectly through elevated cognitive,
affective, and behavioral stigma. Conversely, Openness to Experience reduced negative attitudes
by lowering cognitive stigma. Notably, these psychological mechanisms were only significant for
non-sexual offenses. Furthermore, frequent social media exposure was strongly associated with
reduced sympathy (r = .60) and increased trust in sensationalized crime narratives. Qualitative
interviews with an ex-offender in his late 40s/early 50s revealed that employment discrimination
driven by a profound lack of employer trust regarding theft records was the most significant postrelease barrier. Together, these findings highlight a discrepancy between public attitudes and
lived realities, underscoring the need for age-sensitive rehabilitation policies and media literacy
initiatives to support successful reintegration in aging societies.
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