How Do Women 50+ Feel About Social Security?

Need to Move Quickly

The vast majority of women over age 50 say the next president and Congress need to move quickly to strengthen Social Security, according to a new poll conducted for AARP in 15 battleground states. Seventy-two percent say action needs to be taken “immediately,” and an additional 20 percent say changes are necessary within five years.

What’s the Plan?

The poll found that most women don’t think the candidates have talked enough about their plans for Social Security during this year’s presidential campaign: 78 percent say they have not seen or heard anything concrete from Donald Trump about what he would do to strengthen the program, while 64 percent say the same about Hillary Clinton.

Concern for Kids

“Older women, in particular, want the president and Congress to strengthen Social Security so their kids and grandkids get the benefits they’ve earned,” says Nancy LeaMond, executive vice president of the AARP State and National Group. AARP is leading a campaign called Take a Stand, which is pressing the presidential candidates to tell voters how their plans for the future of Social Security will affect families, how much it will cost and how they’ll get it done.

Dems vs. GOP

Clinton and the Democratic candidates are leading Trump and their Republican counterparts among women 50 and over, and a majority of them are giving the nod to Clinton to keep Social Security strong (52 percent Clinton to 34 percent Trump).

Having Doubts

A majority of older women (55 percent) are confident that Social Security will be there when they retire, but a sizable 42 percent are not feeling confident.

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Credit for Caregiving

Two-thirds of age 50-plus women favor giving credit to people who take time off from work for caregiving responsibilities, and this support increases substantially among African American women and Latinas.

Expecting Cuts

A majority of older women say they will be affected by a 25 percent cut in benefits, which is what will happen if no changes are made to the program by 2034. Only 29 percent say they will not be affected at all.

Living on Less

With entertainment expenses taking the biggest hit (63 percent), a quarter of older women say they would spend less in retirement on food, health care, prescription drugs and utilities.

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