Age Discrimination in the Pandemic Was not the Rule—Every Twentieth Person in the Second Half of Life Reported Experiencing Discrimination Because of Their Age

After the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, one-sided portrayals of older people as a vulnerable risk group repeatedly emerged in the media and political discourse. This chapter examines the extent to which these generalised portrayals were also reflected in people in the second half of life feeling disadvantaged or worse off because of their age in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, different areas of life in which this disadvantage was experienced are examined.