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NIRS Reports on the Views of Americans on Social Security
On July 22, 2024, the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) released its report, Americans’ Views of Social Security. According to the report, about 87% of Americans support Social Security and indicate that it should remain a priority regardless of budget deficits.
Other key findings include:
- Overall, Americans support increasing employer and employee contributions to ensure Social Security’s long-term sustainability.
- Americans that are not retired understand the concepts of full retirement age and when they can start claiming Social Security benefits. However, they are uncertain about their benefit levels, which is available from the Social Security Administration (SSA).
- The majority believe their retirement security is dependent on sustained Social Security benefit levels at least equal to those provided to current retirees. About 52% agree with expanding Social Security benefit levels and 47% disagree with raising the retirement age.
- About 87% of respondents want Congress to act now to address Social Security’s funding shortfall.
The brief is available here.