It's all in the Mind: Changing the Way we Think about Age

In this paper we explore the validity of using chronological age as a primary targeting factor. We show that the majority of people do not identify with their own chronological age group, perceiving themselves to belong to a younger age group. We explore how this varies across the age ranges, and identify the attitudinal and behavioural factors that determine how old (or young) people see themselves as. We then go on to demonstrate how our perceived age construct has been used to understand the way people consume and, in this case, how they consume TV and radio, using real data from the BBC.