Communicating across and within generations

Previous studies of people’s perceptions of intergenerational communication in many countries around the Pacific Rim suggest that aspects of intergenerational communication in some East Asian nations may be more problematic than in some Western ones. This study extends the earlier work by considering similarities and differences between Taiwanese and American young adults’ perceptions of communication with same-age peers and adults 65 years of age and older. As well, in an attempt to discover how the acculturation process may affect intergenerational relations, the perceptions of young Chinese-Americans were also examined. Two-hundred and three participants (including 98 Taiwanese, 47 Euro-Americans, and 59 Chinese-Americans) completed a questionnaire that assessed their perceptions of accommodation and nonaccommodation from members of the two age groups. Also assessed was the extent to which the participants felt deferential towards and avoidant of communication with these two age groups, as well as the experience of positive emotions in these interactions. Consistent with earlier work, young adults were more positive with regards to communication with other younger adults than with older adults, and Euro-Americans generally perceived interactions more positively than people in Taiwan. The Chinese-Americans were similar to the Taiwanese in some respects and similar to the Euro-Americans in others.