Oct 17, 2013 08:54 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Older people facing age discrimination in everyday life is common across the world. People are impatient and dismissive with them.

In a University College London study, one in three, aged 50 and above, have reported to being discriminated against because of age. They claimed that they have received inferior service in shops and hospitals, been treated rudely, patronized and even harassed for being older.

The figure was even higher for people aged over 65 at 37 per cent.

The researchers arrived at the conclusion after surveying 7,800 men and women over the age of 52 from across the country.

The participants were asked to report if they faced any one of the below types of discrimination or more: harassment, patronization, disrespect, and discrimination in medical services, restaurants and shops.

Around 2,600 participants (a third) said that they did encounter prejudice. The figure was 37 percent for 65 and above and 28 percent for participants who were still employed.

About 18 percent of the participants experienced disrespect; 11 per cent of them were prejudiced because people believed them to be idiotic.

Around one in ten claimed to have received the worst treatment in doctors' surgeries, hospitals, restaurants and shops, and 5 percent suffered harassment because of their age.

"These findings highlight the scale of the challenge of age discrimination for older adults. The population continues to age due to a decrease in fertility coupled with an increased life expectancy. With people living longer, age discrimination is likely to gain greater prominence."

"A key aspect that separates age discrimination from other forms of unfair treatment is that everyone is potentially at risk of experiencing it at some point in their lives," according to the report, published in the journal Age And Ageing.

"Discrimination is a nasty trait - but against older people it is also pretty self-defeating. Older people have 80 per cent of the nation's wealth, they are savvy consumers who know how they should be treated and their life experience makes them wise and good company," Paul Green, of the Saga lifestyle group for the over-50s, told Daily Mail UK.

"Some in the private and public sector need to lift their game when dealing with an ageing society."

"Sadly, age discrimination is all too prevalent today. Whilst there is legislation making it illegal, this needs to be accompanied by a seismic shift in societal attitudes towards older people and ageing," Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, told Daily Mail UK.

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