Belief in a Just World and the Perceived Injustice of Dying Young or Old

We investigated how belief in a just world (i.e., that people get what they deserve) affects the perceived injustice of dying young versus dying old. Younger and older adult participants completed a measure of their just world beliefs and then were randomly assigned to read one of four newspaper articles purportedly about a person who died in an automobile accident. In the articles, both the victim's age (19 or 79) and the victim's outlook on life (concerned about the future or living for today) were varied. Results indicated that participants viewed the death of a younger victim as more unjust than the death of an older victim. Older adults, however, experienced less negative affect than did younger adults when reading the article. Older adults also expressed a higher belief in a just world (BJW) than did younger adults. In addition, BJW was related to perceived justice. Participants with a higher BJW perceived the deaths of both victims as more tragic and unjust than did those with a low BJW. The victim's outlook on life did not affect perceived justice. Implications for medical decision-making, the use of aggressive treatment, and the relative value of youth versus age are discussed.