AARP Fights for Social Security
On Social Security’s 85th Anniversary, Survey Finds Nearly All Americans View Social Security as an Important Program. Majority Believe it is More Important in Light of Pandemic ~
A new AARP survey, released in conjunction with Social Security’s 85th anniversary, confirms that Americans highly value Social Security, and even more so due to the pandemic. Most Americans – 93 percent of Republicans, 99 percent of Democrats, and 92 percent of Independents – see Social Security as an important government program, and 56 percent believe it is even more important for retirees in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter sent yesterday to President Trump, AARP asked him to explain his plan to replace Social Security funding.
More than 665,000 Coloradans receive Social Security retirement benefits that accounts for 43 percent the income for at least 50 percent of Colorado of families.
“AARP Colorado is working hard to protect voters 50-plus and make their voices heard on issues that matter, including protecting Social Security and Medicare, lowering prescription drug prices, and ensuring you can vote safely from home or in-person,” said AARP Colorado State Director Bob Murphy. “Social Security is an earned benefit. Workers have paid into it with every paycheck. As a hard-earned benefit, the promise of Social Security must be kept. AARP will never stop fighting to strengthen Social Security, and make sure hard-working Americans get the benefits they’ve earned.”
AARP’s survey found that Social Security is a key source of income and economic stability in retirement, but they have concerns about whether it will be enough.
- Nearly three-quarters of Americans (74 percent) are worried that Social Security will not provide enough to live on during their retirement.
- Two-thirds of Americans believe the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit of $1,503 per month is too low. Nearly three in five Americans are not confident in the future of Social Security, with confidence in the program lowest among 30-49-year-olds at only 28 percent.
- Nearly 2 in 5 Americans (39 percent) say they do or will rely on Social Security for a substantial portion of their retirement income and 4 out of 5 expect it to be part of their retirement income.
Social Security is a key component of AARP Colorado’s “Protect Voters 50+” campaign, which launched Aug. 3. The initiative is calling on the presidential candidates to tell us their plan to protect Social Security for current and future generations, and helping voters cast their votes safely from home or in-person this November.
This survey was conducted among 1,441 Americans 18 and older between July 14, 2020 and July 27, 2020 with a confidence interval of ± 3.4 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
