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New AARP Survey: Majority of Women Voters 50+ Say They’re Worse Off Financially Than a Year Ago; Only 11% Very Confident About Retirement

AARP Press Team

Published February 10, 2026

WASHINGTON—Rising costs are driving widespread economic anxiety among women voters age 50 and older, particularly those ages 50-64, who report significantly greater financial insecurity than their older counterparts and men 50 and older, according to a new AARP survey. Most women age 50-plus (51%) say they feel less financially secure than they did a year ago, and fewer than half feel confident (11% very confident, 33% somewhat confident) they will have enough money to live comfortably throughout retirement. Their concerns are largely due to rising cost-of-living, worries that Social Security will not be enough to make ends meet, and unease about the broader economy.

The national survey, conducted by bipartisan pollsters Kristen Soltis Anderson and Margie Omero, finds that cost of living is the top concern facing women voters 50 and older by a wide margin, with nearly half (45%) citing it as one of the top two issues facing the country. Confidence in the economy remains low: fewer than half say the economy is working well for them personally, including just 35% of women 50–64 and 47% of women 65 and older, and 50% expect the economy to get worse over the next year.

“Our latest polling shows that women age 50 and older—a critical voting bloc—are facing serious economic concerns and are not confident the year ahead will bring greater financial stability,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer. “When kitchen table costs are rising along with retirement insecurity, those concerns don’t stay at home; they shape how older women voters think about the upcoming elections.”

Health care is a major pressure point for women 50 and older, including those who are eligible for Medicare. More than half (53%) of women 50–64 say they cannot afford their health care costs, and nearly one in four Medicare-eligible women age 65 and older (23%) say the same, highlighting that coverage alone does not guarantee affordability. By comparison, fewer men report similar strain: 33% of men 50–64 and 18% of men age 65 and older say they cannot afford their health care costs.

Many older women report making difficult trade-offs to manage rising health care expenses. Among women ages 50–64, 38% have skipped medical care; 22% have gone into debt; 20% have skipped or reduced prescription medication doses because of cost.

Additional findings include:

Women 50 and older are more worried than their male peers about saving for retirement (45% vs. 34%) and covering an emergency expense (48% vs. 34%). More than four in ten cannot cover a $400 emergency using savings or checking alone, including 15% of women 50+ who say they cannot cover it at all.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of women 50–64 say their personal finances are falling short of what they expected at this stage of life--compared with 39% of women 65 and older, 54% of men 50–64, and 31% of men 65 and older.
Among working women 50 and older, 36% say they do not expect to have a pension or retirement account to rely on, rising to nearly six in ten among those without a college degree.
Over half (55%) of women age 50 and older are current or former unpaid family caregivers for an adult loved one, yet fewer than half (44%) are confident they have people prepared to provide care for them.

"Women 50+ are feeling economic uncertainty in the short term, but these immediate concerns have long-term effects,” said Kristen Soltis Anderson, founding partner, Echelon Insights. “Trouble making ends meet today means many women have difficulty saving for the future and for their retirement. Trouble affording health care today means some are skipping care that could protect them down the road. These women are looking for policymakers to focus on the affordability challenges they face."

“Women 50+ are feeling economic pressure from all sides,” said Margie Omero, principal, GBAO. “Many are helping their adult children or have cared for a spouse or parent. Yet their own long-term security is uncertain. Nearly a third expect to rely on Social Security alone, and many suspect the people who will care for them as they age might not be well-prepared for the job.”

Women age 50 and older are among the most reliable voting blocs in the electorate. In the 2024 election, more than a quarter (28%) of all voters were women age 50 and older, and nearly three in four (73%) women voters in this age group turned out to vote, according to Census data. In 2022, AARP polling showed women 65+ in battleground Congressional districts moved from favoring Republican candidates by 2 points in July 2022, to favoring Democrats by 14 points in November 2022 – a 16-point shift that contributed to the narrowness of the Republican House majority.

Survey Methodology

Echelon Insights, in collaboration with GBAO Strategies, conducted a survey on behalf of AARP to understand the views of voters in the likely electorate, with a focus on women voters age 50 and older. The survey was fielded online December 9–16, 2025, in English using non-probability sampling. The final sample included 2,593 voters nationwide, including an oversample of 1,188 women voters age 50 and older. Respondents were drawn from the Lucid sample exchange and matched to the L2 voter file to verify voter registration status.

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About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.

Media Contact: Madison Daniels, mdaniels@aarp.org, 202-531-9026

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New AARP Survey: Majority of Women Voters 50+ Say They’re Worse Off Financially Than a Year Ago; Only 11% Very Confident About Retirement

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