THE SUPPORT, RISKY BEHAVIORS AND AGEISM TENDENCIES OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS TO THE PREVENTION MEASURES FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

In April, when the restrictions for COVID-19 outbreak were implemented in Turkey, a curfew was imposed first on those aged sixty-five and above, and then on those under 20 as a health measure. To fight against outbreak effectively, the attitudes of the youth towards the official measures are important. Disobeying to health-related enforcement risks people’s health, and it is known that young people have a tendency to exhibit risky behaviors. In the present study, the support for the official restrictions, their risk behavior and ageism tendencies by the youth living in the large cities of Turkey were examined. Data was collected through an online survey from 2096 high school seniors (1461:F, 635:M). The results revealed that students generally supported restrictions aimed at combating the outbreak, with the least supported restrictions being those related to traveling and social gatherings. According to their self-report, young people engage in risky behaviors rarely, and their hostile ageism levels are low, while their benevolent ageism levels are relatively high. Risky behaviors at some domains (risky traffic behaviors and violation of hygiene norms) are significant predictors of the support for the restrictions for the outbreak, and benevolent ageism predicts support for the measures against the COVID-19 outbreak, even after risky behaviors have been controlled. © 2022. MİLLÎ EĞİTİM. All Rights Reserved.