Mok, Ching TungChing TungMokDr. LAM Yin-Hung, BessBessDr. LAM Yin-Hung2026-08-032026-08-032026Mok, C. T. & Lam, Y. H. (2026). Public perception and stigma against elderly offenders and associated factors. 2026 Asian Conference on Applied Psychology.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/28407Population 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.enConference Paper