Story highlights USC study finds seniors under represented in filmsSeniors made up 15% of frequent moviegoers in 2015(CNN) According to a new study, Hollywood's diversity initiatives need to extend to age. In the movies studied, only 11.8% of the 1,256 speaking characters were 60 years of age or older -- that's nearly 7% less than the population of seniors in living in the United States, according to the U.S. Census estimates. "The outcry over the lack of diversity at Hollywood's premier award show has failed to recognize the value of senior voices on screen," Stacy L. Smith, director of the Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg, said in a press release. "While 2016 best picture nominated films are more diverse when it comes to gender and some racial and ethnic groups, ageism is still an accepted form of exclusion in cinematic storytelling." Of the 148 senior characters featured in the films studied, 77.7% were men and 22.3% were women.

Source: CNN February 17, 2017 17:26 UTC