As such, many countries have implemented strategies focused on minimizing the risks for the elderly, and appeals to the public have been made centered around protecting older family members.

Not really, according to a study that analyzed survey data from dozens of countries.

Daoust took advantage of a huge collection of survey data obtained by YouGov and Imperial College London.

While Daoust had to exclude India and China, where the population surveyed wasn't representative of the country's demographics, he was still left with over 72,000 people in 27 countries (Africa is notably unrepresented, and the only South American country is Brazil.) While his main conclusions are drawn from the data as a whole, Daoust also did country- and region-level analyses to look for differences in attitudes.

He treats various questions in the survey as ways of determining if people are following the advice of public health experts?

Among the questions asked in the survey are ones about whether people are willing to self-isolate if they experience symptoms and whether they'd do so if asked to by a government official or health expert.

In an ideal world, older people would be aware of their elevated risk and act accordingly, so we'd see compliance with health advice increasing if we plotted it against age.

(Data for people over 80 is iffy, as there were so few included in this survey.) People were more likely to agree to self-isolate when asked to by a health expert or the government, even at young ages.

Daoust cites a survey of US residents done by Pew that indicates the elderly are more likely to consider COVID-19 a serious crisis and threat to people's health.

Given how frequently it's emphasized by public health authorities in other countries, it's likely that the United States isn't unique in this regard.