Older adults less likely than younger adults to see situations as zero-sum, study finds
Mar 1st 2026
A 2026 Journal of Experimental Psychology: General paper combined lab studies and World Values Survey data to show younger people are more likely to view situations as zero-sum, with resource scarcity and optimism helping to explain the gap and implications for well being and policy.
- Lab studies show younger adults endorse zero-sum beliefs more often than older adults when rating general statements and a workplace example.
- The age gap persisted after the researchers ruled out differences in cognitive ability as an explanation.
- Feeling resource scarcity increased zero-sum beliefs while optimism reduced them.
- Older adults on average reported less resource scarcity and more positive thinking, which partly explained the age difference.
- Analysis of World Values Survey waves from the 1990s and the mid 2010s found the same age pattern across cohorts, arguing against a pure period effect.
- Zero-sum beliefs are linked to lower well being and shape policy preferences, for example increasing opposition to immigration