Public Discourse on Ageing in Latvia (2019–2024)

This sentiment analysis by the Social Innovation Centre examined over 62,000 digital posts and comments to understand how Latvian society perceives and discusses ageing. While the conversation is becoming more positive, a significant “language gap” remains between how older adults see themselves and how the rest of society describes them.

Latvia’s public discourse on ageing is undergoing a significant shift, with negative sentiment dropping from 61% in 2019 to 40% in 2024. This change is driven by the post-pandemic visibility of older adults and more positive content on platforms like Instagram, which is the only digital space with a positive plurality. However, a deep regional divide persists: Latgale remains the most negative region (59%), largely due to socioeconomic anxieties and a sense of regional decline. Meanwhile, the “sandwich generation” (ages 35–54) continues to view ageing through the lens of economic burden, reflecting the real-world pressure of balancing child-rearing with parent-care.

A critical “language gap” exists between how society describes older adults versus how they see themselves. While external discourse is dominated by words like “burden” and “cost,” older adults describe their own experience using terms like “wisdom,” “community,” and “experience”. To bridge this gap, the Social Innovation Centre recommends amplifying the direct voices of seniors, as self-authored content is measurably more positive. Moving forward, the goal is to stabilize this fragile positive trend through regional communication strategies and structural support for caregivers to transform ageing from a perceived “load” into a shared social asset.