DOT/FAA/AM-00/17

Richard C. Thompson

Lawrence L. Bailey

Civil Aeromedical Institute

Federal Aviation Administration

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125

May 2000

Final Report

This document is available to the public

through the National Technical Information

Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

Age and Attitudes in the

Air Traffic Control Specialist

Workforce: An Initial Assessment

Office of Aviation Medicine

Washington, D.C. 20591

U.S. Department

of Transportation

Federal Aviation

Administration
NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of

the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of

information exchange. The United States Government

assumes no liability for the contents thereof.
i

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

DOT/FAA/AM-00/17

4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date

Age and Attitudes in the Air Traffic Control Specialist Workforce:

An Initial Assessment

May 2000

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.

Thompson, R. C. & Bailey, L. L.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute

P.O. Box 25082

Oklahoma City, OK 73125

12. Sponsoring Agency name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

Office of Aviation Medicine

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, S. W.

Washington, DC 20591

15. Supplemental Notes

Work was completed under approved task number AM-B-99-HRR-516.

16. Abstract

The present study examines the relationships between air traffic control specialist age, after covarying job

tenure, with perceptions of job satisfaction, quality of work life, organizational commitment, and supervisory

fairness. The presence of a relationship and the shape of the relationship are examined for four categories of

controllers based on air traffic option or work setting (i.e., working in an enroute, flight service stations, Level

1 to 3 or level 4 or 5 terminal (towers and tracons)). The results suggest that there is a small linear

relationship between age and attitudes. Similar patterns have been found in age research in other work

settings. There are some differences in the shape of the age function based on air traffic option; these

differences account for minimal variance. It may be fruitful to develop a more focused study where age is

measured as a continuous variable instead of using age categories, which may have masked some differences

found in past research. In addition, future research may consider examining the age and attitudes

relationships using international controllers to determine if there are cultural differences in the relationships

found.

17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement

Organization Climate Perceptions, Air Traffic Document is available to the public through

Control Specialists, Age the National Technical Information Service,

Springfield, VA 22161

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price

Unclassified Unclassified 12

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

1

AGE AND ATTITUDES IN THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

SPECIALIST WORKFORCE: AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Organizational researchers have examined the relationship of an employee’s age and a number of

work-related factors, including job performance

(Waldman & Avolio, 1986), career potential (Rosen

& Jerdee, 1976), and work attitudes such as job

satisfaction and organizational commitment (Cleveland & Shore, 1992; Rhodes, 1983). The results of

that research have demonstrated a relationship between age and work-related factors that varies both in

shape (linear vs. curvilinear) and size (from zero to a

strong correlation), depending on the criterion of

interest and contextual factors (e.g., occupation, organizational setting, and individual’s health) that

affect the relationship. This suggests the need for

organizational researchers to carefully examine age

relationships before reporting the results.

Considering the above, the present paper examines

both the size and shape of the relationship between

organizational attitudes and age in the air traffic

control specialist (ATCS) workforce. Previous research in other job settings reviewed by Rhodes

(1983) suggests a positive linear, or U-shaped relationship with age and job satisfaction and organizational commitment. However, Cleveland and Shore

(1992) report the absence of a statistically significant

relationship with the same variables. Consequently,

this study was conducted to clarify the relationship

within the air traffic control occupational setting.

For a number of years, the Federal Aviation administration (FAA) has had an interest in the jobrelated attitudes of its workforce (see Thompson,

1998 for a review). Recent evidence suggests that

some of the work-related attitudes of FAA employees,

such as job satisfaction, are higher than levels reported in previous years (Thompson et al., 1999).

However, the research conducted to date has not

specifically examined the ATCS workforce, nor has it

identified any strong explanation for this improvement. One possibility is that the ATCS workforce has

improving attitudes due to age. Most of the ATCS

workforce has aged as a cohort because most were

hired after the 1981 Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) strike and because there

has been restricted hiring since 1992 (see Broach,

1998 for a review). This unique situation provides an

opportunity to examine the relationship between age

and attitudes. The relationship between age or agerelated variables and air traffic controller attitudes

has not been examined in the FAA, with one exception. Thompson, Hilton, and Behn (1997) found a

negative relationship between organization attitudes

and organization tenure for controllers in the flight

service station (FSS) work setting. As such, the present

study examined the relationships between ATCS age,

measured in 10-year intervals, and perceptions of job

satisfaction, quality of work life, organizational commitment, and supervisory fairness.

Age and Job Satisfaction. According to Rhodes

(1983), research examining age and job satisfaction

suggests that respondent age and perceptions of satisfaction are generally linearly and positively correlated. Some of the studies reviewed by Rhodes,

however, suggest a U-shaped relationship between

age and job satisfaction. Since Rhodes’ review, researchers have continued to address this question

(Clark, Oswald, & Warr, 1996). The important issue

for the present study, however, is not the general

shape of the relationship, but instead that satisfaction

appears to increase with age. It is hypothesized, based

on previous research with other groups, that for

ATCSs, job satisfaction increases with age.

Age and Quality of Work Life. For the present

study, quality of work life is an index of general

satisfaction with the working environment. Rhodes’

review of the age-related attitude differences also

identified a small number of studies that found age to

be positively related to coworker satisfaction and

satisfaction with the work performed. Similar results

are also reported by Kacmar and Ferris (1989) for the

same constructs. As such, similar results are expected

for the ATCS workforce.

Age and Commitment. Rhodes’ (1983) review of

the literature indicated that, except for some occupations, commitment increased with age. Several metaanalyses have found a small positive relationship

between organizational commitment and age (Cohen,
2

1993; Mathieu & Zajac, 1990). Similar correlations

have been found between age and job involvement

(Brown, 1996). The correlations reported in these

studies are generally less than .20, suggesting that

there is a small increase in commitment to an organization or a job as an employee ages. To examine the

possible confound between age and other chronological variables, such as organization or career tenure, Lynn, Cao, and Horn (1996) studied career

tenure and commitment and found a small positive

correlation. Career tenure is measured as years in a

specific career track. Thus, research suggests that

commitment to an organization increases as a

workforce ages. A similar finding is, therefore, expected for ATCSs.

Age and Supervisory Fairness. There appears to be

a negative linear relationship between age and perceptions of supervisors (Rhodes, 1983). However,

this conclusion is based on a limited number of

studies. The literature on supervisor fairness, or supervisor interactional fairness, suggests that subordinates perceive they are treated fairly when they are

treated in a respectful manner and also when interactions with a supervisor are free of harassing, discriminating, and biased behavior (Bies & Moag, 1986;

Folger & Cropanzano, 1998). Supervisory fairness

has not been examined in relation to age; therefore, it

was hypothesized that the same positive relationship

found for other attitudes with age would also be

found here.

METHOD

Participants

A survey (the 1997 Employee Attitude Survey)

containing measures of the previously mentioned

constructs was mailed to all permanent FAA employees (approximately 49,000) in the fall of 1997. Surveys were voluntarily completed and returned by

25,004 FAA employees. Of this total, 7,452 nonsupervisory ATCSs between the ages of 26 and 65

returned surveys that were considered in the present

study. In addition, responses across ATCS options

are examined.

For the present study, four ATCS options were

assessed. The first option includes ATCS’s who work

in Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs),

also called an “enroute center.” Enroute centers provide air traffic control (ATC) services between airports.

The second option includes ATCS’s who work in

flight service stations. These controllers provide

weather and other information important for the

safety of flight to pilots. The next two options include terminal facilities. Terminal facilities provide

ATC services at and around airports. In the present

study, low (levels 1 to 3) and high (levels 4 and 5)

traffic density terminal facilities are examined separately. Due to differences in air traffic density, runway layouts, and facility equipment, the FAA groups

terminals into different levels for staffing purposes.

Terminal levels are determined by air traffic density

factors. Density factors are calculated by summing

the total number of air traffic operations for the

busiest 183 days during the previous 12-month period. The sum is then divided by 183 to obtain an

average number of operations. The average is then

divided by 16 (to avoid penalizing non-24-hour

terminals and towers with reduced traffic during the

midnight shift) to obtain the density factor. Levels 1

and 2 terminals have density factors less than 20 and

restricted hours of operation. Level 3 terminals have

density factors ranging from 20 to 59.99 operations

per hour; level 4 terminals have density factors ranging from 60 to 99.99 operations per hour; and level

5 terminals have density factors greater than 100

operations per hour.

Measures

All measures used in the present study were administered within the context of a larger self-report

survey. A single item asked for the respondent’s age,

measured in 10-year intervals. The age intervals were

25 and under, 26 to 35, 36 to 45, 46 to 55, 56 to 65,

and 66 or older. Job tenure was assessed with a single

item that asked employees how long they had worked

in their current job (less than 1 year, 1 through 3

years, 4 through 9 years, 10 through 15 years, 16

through 20 years, and more than 20 years). Four

attitude measures were used for the present study.

First, a single item was used to measure the employees’ level of overall job satisfaction. Second, the

quality of work life measure consisted of five items

assessing attributes of the work environment. Specifically, respondents were asked to indicate their

degree of overall satisfaction with their job (same

item as job satisfaction above), physical working

conditions, kind of work they do, their workgroup,

and the organization. For both of these measures,
3

overall job satisfaction and quality of work life,

response options were 1 = Very dissatisfied, 2 =

Somewhat dissatisfied, 3 = Neither dissatisfied nor

satisfied, 4 = Somewhat satisfied, and 5 = Very

satisfied. Next, organizational commitment was assessed using five items adapted from Porter, Steers,

Mowday, and Boulian (1974). Response options for

these items ranged from 1 = Not at all, 2 = To a

limited extent, 3 = To a moderate extent, 4 = To a

considerable extent, and 5 = To a great extent. Finally, supervisory fairness was assessed using five

items with response options ranging from 1 = Strongly

disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neither disagree nor agree,

4 = Agree, and 5 = Strongly agree (items adapted from

Camman, Fichman, Jenkins, & Klesh, 1983).

RESULTS

For each attitude measure, a 4 (age: 26 to 35, 36 to

45, 46 to 55, and 56 to 65) X 4 (Air Traffic Option:

enroute, FSS, Levels 1-3, and Levels 4-5) ANCOVA

was conducted. Job tenure was entered as a covariate

in all analyses and was significant for each analysis.

When examining job satisfaction, there was a statistically significant main effect of age, F(3, 7357) =

11.50, p < .001 and a statistically significant main

effect of option, F(3, 7357) = 6.23, p < .001; however, the main effects were tempered by a significant

age by option interaction, F(9, 7357) = 2.24, p < .02.

These results are summarized in Table1. Overall tests

of linear, quadratic, and cubic trend were conducted

for the main effect of age collapsing across air traffic

option. While the quadratic trend fit the data, the

results indicate the linear trend is the best fitting line

for job satisfaction. An examination of the overall

means presented in Table1 show there is a U-shaped

curve, however, the size of the differences is slight. To

determine whether the linear trend fits best for each

air traffic option, follow-up analyses were conducted

assessing the linear, quadratic, and cubic trend for

age for each air traffic option. These results, summarized in Table 1 suggest that a linear trend fit best for

FSS respondents, as well as terminal respondents.

However, no line fits Enroute respondents well, with

the best fitting trend being cubic, but only approaching significance. The main effect of option was assessed with post hoc comparisons that indicate the

enroute respondents provided significantly lower ratings of job satisfaction, compared with the remaining

groups of respondents. Figure1 shows the percent of

respondents who indicated they were “satisfied” or

“very satisfied” with their job. The figure shows the

Table 1. Job Satisfaction

Means and Standard Deviations Tests of Trend

Air Traffic Facility

(Sample Size)

26 to

35

36 to

45

46 to

55

56 to

65

Across

Age

F-Linear

(η2

)

F-Quadratic

(η2

)

F-Cubic

(η2

)

Enroute Centers

(787, 1196, 348, 80)

3.60

(1.02)

3.45

(1.09)

3.53

(1.09)

3.48

(1.38)

3.51

(1.08)

0.00

(0.000)

0.06

(0.000)

3.46

(0.000)

Flight Service Stations

(128, 533, 528, 133)

3.43

(1.15)

3.54

(1.11)

3.63

(1.08)

3.90

(0.99)

3.61

(1.10)

23.94**

(0.003)

0.82

(0.000)

0.44

(0.000)

Levels 1 to 3 Terminals

(634, 957, 257, 23)

3.76

(1.00)

3.54

(1.09)

3.73

(1.04)

4.00

(0.95)

3.65

(1.06)

3.13

(0.000)

2.77

(0.000)

1.84

(0.000)

Levels 4 and 5 Terminals

(405, 1082, 277, 39)

3.68

(0.98)

3.60

(1.07)

3.60

(1.11)

3.97

(1.04)

3.63

(1.06)

4.58*

(0.001)

4.44*

(0.001)

0.91

(0.000)

Collapsing Across Air

Traffic Options

3.66

(1.01)

3.53

(1.09)

3.62

(1.08)

3.80

(1.13)

3.59

(1.07)

*p < .05

**p < .01
4

trends by age for the most positive respondents for

each of the air traffic options. The percent positive

scores, like the test of mean differences, show that

older respondents are 6 to 18 percentage points more

satisfied when compared with any of the younger

respondents across the options.

Similar results were found for quality of work life

perceptions. There was a statistically significant main

effect of age, F(3, 7373) = 14.30, p < .001, as well as

a statistically significant main effect of air traffic

option, F(3, 7373) = 9.98, p < .001. The age by

option interaction, however, only approached statistical significance, F(9, 7373) = 1.82, p = .06. The

quality of work life descriptive statistics for the main

effects and the non-significant interaction are presented in Table 2. The main effect of age was assessed

by computing trend contrasts. Again, the linear trend

best fit the data. The main effect of option, assessed

with post hoc comparisons, indicated that the enroute

respondents provided significantly lower ratings of

quality of work life, compared with the remaining

groups of respondents. Figure 2 shows the percent of

respondents who indicated they were “satisfied” or

“very satisfied” with their quality of work life. As with

job satisfaction, summarized in Figure 1, Figure 2

shows the trends by age and option, and only shows

those with the most positive perceptions. Again,

however, the older respondents are several percentage

points more satisfied when compared with any of the

Table 2. Quality of Work Life

Means and Standard Deviations Tests of Trend

Air Traffic Facility

(Sample Size)

26 to

35

36 to

45

46 to

55

56 to

65

Across

Age

F-Linear

(η2

)

F-Quadratic

(η2

)

F-Cubic

(η2

)

Enroute Centers

(790, 1195, 348, 80)

3.22

(0.76)

3.16

(0.78)

3.31

(0.84)

3.28

(0.98)

3.21

(0.79)

6.34*

(0.001)

0.22

(0.000)

6.63**

(0.001)

Flight Service Stations

(128, 535, 526, 134)

3.27

(0.89)

3.34

(0.91)

3.38

(0.89)

3.61

(0.82)

3.38

(0.89)

31.65**

(0.004)

1.34

(0.000)

0.72

(0.000)

Levels 1 to 3 Terminals

(636, 962, 259, 23)

3.54

(0.78)

3.39

(0.81)

3.55

(0.81)

3.65

(0.94)

3.47

(0.80)

3.18

(0.000)

0.40

(0.000)

4.28

(0.001)

Levels 4 and 5 Terminals

(405, 1085, 278, 39)

3.45

(0.76)

3.37

(0.82)

3.41

(0.87)

3.81

(0.82)

3.41

(0.81)

13.84**

(0.002)

7.41**

(0.001)

1.00

(0.000)

Collapsing Across Air

Traffic Options

3.37

(0.79)

3.31

(0.82)

3.40

(0.86)

3.54

(0.89)

3.35

(0.82)

*p < .05

**p < .01

67.3

58.6

71.8

70.9

59.2

64.9

64.2

65.3

61.8

65.9

70.8

61.7

67.5

74.4

78.2

79.5

0

20

40

60

80

100

Enroute

Centers

Flight Service

Stations

Levels 1-3

Terminals

Levels 4-5

Terminals

Air Traffic Option

Percent Positive

Age 26 to 35

Age 36 to 45

Age 46 to 55

Age 56 to 65

Figure 1. Percent of Respondents Indicating Job Satisfaction (Satisfied to Very Satisfied).
5

younger respondents. Figure 2 shows as much as a 14-

percentage point difference between older and any of

the younger respondents for some of the options.

The pattern of results for organizational commitment was similar to those for quality of work life

perceptions. There was a statistically significant main

effect of age, F(3, 7348) = 42.92, p < .001. There was

also a statistically significant main effect of air traffic

option, F(3, 7348) = 14.62, p < .001. The age by

option interaction, however, was not statistically

significant, F(9, 7348) = 1.62, p = .10. Descriptive

statistics for the main effects and the non-significant

interaction are for organizational commitment presented in Table 3. The main effect of age was assessed

by computing trend contrasts. Here, both linear and

quadratic trend analyses fit the data, with the linear

trend providing the best fit to the data. The main

effect of option was assessed with post hoc comparisons that indicate the enroute respondents provided

significantly lower ratings of organizational commitment, compared with the remaining groups of respondents. The organizational commitment ratings

of levels 4 and 5 respondents were also significantly

lower than those of FSS respondents. Figure 3 summarizes the percentage of respondents who indicated

commitment to the organization “To a moderate

extent” or greater. For the most committed respondents, Figure 3 shows there are sizable percentage

differences for the different age groups across the air

traffic option.

Table 3. Organizational Commitment

Means and Standard Deviations Tests of Trend

Air Traffic Facility

(Sample Size)

26 to

35

36 to

45

46 to

55

56 to

65

Across

Age

F-Linear

(η2

)

F-Quadratic

(η2

)

F-Cubic

(η2

)

Enroute Centers

(789, 1195, 346, 81)

2.91

(0.96)

2.79

(0.97)

3.04

(1.02)

3.28

(1.10)

2.88

(0.98)

36.03**

(0.005)

3.24

(0.000)

5.62*

(0.001)

Flight Service Stations

(127, 532, 525, 132)

3.31

(0.86)

3.18

(0.93)

3.15

(0.99)

3.43

(0.93)

3.21

(0.95)

14.74**

(0.002)

8.82**

(0.001)

0.02

(0.000)

Levels 1 to 3 Terminals

(633, 958, 258, 23)

3.23

(0.96)

3.00

(0.96)

3.13

(1.07)

3.58

(0.98)

3.11

(0.98)

10.16**

(0.001)

5.09*

(0.001)

0.54

(0.000)

Levels 4 and 5 Terminals

(404, 1077, 278, 40)

3.11

(0.98)

2.90

(1.00)

3.13

(1.03)

3.64

(0.98)

3.00

(1.01)

27.14**

(0.004)

11.55**

(0.001)

1.19

(0.000)

Collapsing Across Air

Traffic Options

3.09

(0.97)

2.93

(0.98)

3.12

(1.02)

3.43

(1.00)

3.03

(0.99)

*p < .05

**p < .01

51.5

50.6

61.3

57.8

48.9

54.7

56.0

55.6

52.1

55.6

61.7

56.4

55.4

62.6

67.5

69.9

0

20

40

60

80

100

Enroute

Centers

Flight Service

Stations

Levels 1-3

Terminals

Levels 4-5

Terminals

Air Traffic Option

Percent Positive

Age 26 to 35

Age 36 to 45

Age 46 to 55

Age 56 to 65

Figure 2. Percent of Respondents Indicating Satisfaction with Quality of Work Life

(Satisfied to Very Satisfied).
6

Finally, the results for perceptions of supervisory

fairness show significant main effects for age, F(3,

7284) = 6.04, p < .001, and air traffic option, F(3,

7284) = 5.80, p < .001. Table 4 presents the descriptive statistics for these main effects, as well as the

interaction, even though the interaction did not

approach significance. The main effect of age was

assessed with analyses of trend, and a linear trend

provided the best fit for the data. The post hoc means

comparisons for air traffic option reveal that levels 4 and

5 respondents reported significantly higher perceptions

of supervisory fairness, compared with the other air

traffic options. A summary of the percentage of

respondents who indicated they “agree” or “strongly

agree” with items indicating supervisory fairness is

presented in Figure 4. The results in Figure 4 show

that for the enroute and level 1 to 3 respondents;

there are lower ratings of supervisory fairness for the

oldest respondents (ages 56 to 65). However, the FSS

and levels 4 to 5 respondents in the 56 to 65 category

are more positive, compared with respondents in the

other age categories.

Table 4. Supervisory Fairness

Means and Standard Deviations Tests of Trend

Air Traffic Facility

(Sample Size)

26 to

35

36 to

45

46 to

55

56 to

65

Across

Age

F-Linear

(η2

)

F-Quadratic

(η2

)

F-Cubic

(η2

)

Enroute Centers

(781, 1181, 341, 79)

3.36

(1.08)

3.25

(1.11)

3.28

(1.13)

3.18

(1.17)

3.29

(1.07)

0.02

(0.000)

0.20

(0.000)

1.47

(0.000)

Flight Service Stations

(128, 525, 519, 130)

3.34

(1.06)

3.19

(1.07)

3.23

(1.10)

3.49

(1.07)

3.25

(1.09)

8.76**

(0.001)

6.59*

(0.001)

0.07

(0.000)

Levels 1 to 3 Terminals

(630, 950, 260, 23)

3.24

(1.13)

3.13

(1.15)

3.31

(1.10)

3.30

(1.09)

3.20

(1.14)

1.48

(0.000)

0.01

(0.000)

3.10

(0.000)

Levels 4 and 5 Terminals

(404, 1068, 275, 40)

3.53

(1.07)

3.43

(1.09)

3.40

(1.05)

3.70

(0.88)

3.45

(1.08)

2.77

(0.000)

2.49

(0.000)

0.57

(0.000)

Collapsing Across Air

Traffic Options

(1932,

3.35

(1.10)

3.27

(1.11)

3.29

(1.10)

3.42

(1.08)

3.30

(1.11)

*p < .05

**p < .01

58.2

71.2

67.7

63.9

52.7

66.5

60.4

57.1

61.4

65.6

63.1

64.2

68.7

72.7

76.9

75.5

0

20

40

60

80

100

Enroute

Centers

Flight Service

Stations

Levels 1-3

Terminals

Levels 4-5

Terminals

Air Traffic Option

Percent Positive

Age 26 to 35

Age 36 to 45

Age 46 to 55

Age 56 to 65

Figure 3. Percent of Respondents Indicating Organizational Commitment

(Considerable Extent to a Great Extent).
7

 DISCUSSION

The results of the present study must be interpreted with several caveats. First, although statistically controlled for, there are sizeable differences

between the number of respondents in each of the air

traffic options and in each age group. Second, by

grouping respondents based on age instead of treating age as a continuous variable, potential mis-grouping may cloud some differences that actually exist for

respondents of different ages. Next, the cross-sectional nature of the present study does not take into

account potential cohort effects and other threats to

internal and external validity. Finally, the large overall sample size may lead to excessive statistical power,

which could lead to statistically significant, but practically unimportant differences between groups.

In fact, this latter caveat forces a closer examination of the results obtained. Overall, it appears that

the reported attitudes of the ATCS workforce improve slightly with age. In addition, it appears that

the shape of the relationship is best described as

linear, with the exception of controllers working in

enroute centers, where linear relationships were found

only for perceptions of quality of work life and

organizational commitment. For each of these analyses, however, age accounts for minimal variance in

each of the dependent variables examined. Thus, the

practical result of the present study is that age accounts for only minimal variance in the attitudes of

the ATCS workforce when comparing averages across

the entire range of survey responses. It should be noted

that the effect sizes found for age and satisfaction here

are smaller than those found in other research

(Bedeian, Ferris, & Kacmar, 1992; Cleveland &

Shore, 1992; Kacmar & Ferris, 1989; Snyder &

Mayo, 1991). However, even for many of those

studies, the variance accounted for by age is small

(Cohen, 1992).

It is also important to point out that for the most

positive respondents, summarized in Figures 1

through 4, there are a number of sizable differences in

perceptions. The differences presented in the figures

were not assessed statistically, but do show that for

those respondents who reported more positive perceptions, the older controllers were generally the

most positive. In some cases the size of the percentage

difference was quite large.

An examination of the tables shows that the average dependent variable scores for of the controllers in

the age 36 to 45 category are lower than those

reported by controllers in the age 26 to 35 category.

These differences were not large enough to emerge as

statistically significant in most cases, but suggest the

general U-shaped relationship found in other research. It is possible that the absence of the very

young in the present analysis (those less than age 26),

which are usually included in most other research,

may account for the lack of a strong U-shaped function. In addition, the small sample sizes in the 56 to

65 age category, even when statistically adjusted for,

limits the efficacy of the analyses. Part of the restriction in sample size for this group is accounted for by

the mandatory retirement rules for some controllers,

which is further discussed below.

56.2

52.6

50.7

62.4

51.7

44.8

47.2

57.3

50.2

48

53.753.8

47.4

56.1

49.1

69.0

0

20

40

60

80

100

Enroute

Centers

Flight Service

Stations

Levels 1-3

Terminals

Levels 4-5

Terminals

Air Traffic Option

Percent Positive

Age 26 to 35

Age 36 to 45

Age 46 to 55

Age 56 to 65

Figure 4. Percent of Respondents Indicating Supervisory Fairness (Agree to

Strongly Agree).
8

Given that past research has found a strong linear

or U-shaped relationship between age and attitudes,

it is incumbent to offer some potential reason for the

limited effect found here. One possible explanation is

the intentional exclusion of supervisory and management personnel from the present study. Some studies

that have examined age and attitudes did not identify

whether they included supervisors and managers in

their samples (e.g., Lynn, Cao, & Horn, 1996; Rhodes,

1983); others specifically compared supervisors and

non-supervisory employees (e.g., Cleveland & Shore,

1992). This difference in sampling may lead to a

confound in age studies. Specifically, compared with

non-supervisors, supervisors and managers tend to be

older and tend to report attitudes that are more

positive (Harris & Greenberg, 1983; Thompson et

al., 1999).

Another possibility is the mandatory retirement

faced by air traffic controllers who have been hired

since 1972 and are in the terminal and enroute

environments. Specifically, these controllers are required by the Air Traffic Controllers Career Act

(1994) to cease actively controlling aircraft upon

reaching age 56, unless granted an exemption. It is

possible that this mandatory retirement age is a factor

for the older controllers examined here. What is not

clear, however, is whether the 1972 law had a positive

or negative impact on attitudes. It is possible that the

requirement has some negative impact on attitudes

which although yielding the highest scores for the age

groups in the present study, resulted in lower attitude

scores when compared with attitudes of other workers in occupational groups who are not affected by

such laws.

Future research should examine these possibilities.

However, in the United States, there are few occupations with such early mandatory retirement rules.

Moreover, a potential confound is created since the

population of interest, namely air traffic controllers

in the U. S., work almost exclusively for the FAA

(there are some levels 1 and 2 towers with commercially contracted controllers, as well as some military

controllers in the Department of Defense). As such,

it may be helpful to examine the attitudes and age

relationship in controllers in other countries. Multinational research of this nature would provide interesting comparison information for a unique

occupation.

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