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Help the Aged has renewed calls for ageism to be outlawed following new research showing that two-thirds of the UK population do not think the government is taking older people seriously.

A national survey conducted on behalf of the charity by pollsters ICM also found that 74% of adults of all ages agreed that age discrimination should be banned completely. Fifty-seven per cent said they were worried about how they will be treated when they turn 65 themselves.

Currently, age discrimination is outlawed in employment but not in the provision of goods, facilities and services, including health and social care - unlike discrimination on the grounds of disability, gender, race, religion and belief and sexual orientation.

Help the Aged's head of public affairs, Kate Jopling, said it was a “moral outrage” that older people were being denied access to services such as banking and insurance. She added: “Ministers have the power to outlaw age discrimination. The public are overwhelmingly supportive of legislation – it remains to be seen whether the government is listening.”

The charity urged the government to include the measure in its planned Equality Bill.

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