Exclusive AARP Poll: Support for Social Security Stronger Than Ever, but Confidence in Program Lags

Americans across age groups and party lines view the monthly payments as critical to retirement security

Deirdre Shesgreen,

AARP

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En español

Published July 22, 2025

figures in front of a social security card on a blue background

Rob Dobi

As it nears its 90th birthday, Social Security remains overwhelmingly popular among U.S. adults across all age groups and political affiliations, according to a new AARP survey.

Ninety-six percent of respondents characterized Social Security as an important program, and 74 percent rated it as one of the most important, up from 68 percent in 2020.

“Social Security is one of the most successful and popular initiatives in history,” Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, AARP’s CEO, said at a July 22 news conference announcing the findings. “It has helped generations of Americans stay out of poverty and live with dignity after a lifetime of hard work.”

The survey also found that Americans are more worried about Social Security now than they were five years ago, with just 36 percent saying they felt very or somewhat confident about its future. That’s a seven-point dip from AARP’s 2020 survey on the issue.

Younger people tended to be more pessimistic about Social Security’s future, with only about a quarter of people ages 25 to 44 expressing confidence, compared to 59 percent of those 65 or older. Among the reasons cited for the lack of confidence: distrust in the government and worries about Social Security’s solvency.

‘A key ingredient to a dignified retirement’

In June 2025, more than 69 million Americans — including nearly 53 million retired workers and 7.1 million people with disabilities — received Social Security payments. The average benefit for retirees in that month was $2,005.

Nearly two-thirds of the 3,599 U.S. adults polled by AARP in June said they rely substantially on Social Security for their income or expect to do so when they retire. Another 21 percent said they will “rely somewhat” on the program for their retirement income.

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For much of the 20th century, financial security in retirement was predicated on Social Security, pensions and individual savings. Today, far fewer private-sector employers offer pensions, and many Americans have not accumulated enough in retirement accounts such as 401(k)s or IRAs to safeguard their financial security after they stop working. That means a greater number need Social Security to pay rent, buy groceries and secure other necessities as they age.

Minter-Jordan noted that Social Security is the primary source of income for more than 24 million families, and that more than 183 million workers currently pay into the program. 

“Increasingly, Social Security has become a key ingredient to a dignified retirement, regardless of income,” she said.

While most respondents expect that Social Security will be key to their retirement, 78 percent said they’re worried their monthly payments won’t be enough for them to get by. Among those under 50, 1 in 4 said they would not rely on Social Security once they leave work.

Support transcends party affiliation

The survey, which AARP has conducted every five years since 2005, found near-unanimous support for Social Security across the political spectrum, with 95 percent of Republicans, 98 percent of Democrats and 93 percent of independents calling it an important government program. Strong support was also consistent across generations, with 94 percent of respondents ages 18 to 49 and 98 percent of those 50-plus expressing the same view.

The poll also found some confusion about what will happen if Congress does not act to shore up Social Security’s finances. The 2025 annual report from Social Security’s board of trustees, issued in June, projects that the program’s trust funds will run short of money by 2034. Unless Congress acts to address the shortfall, beneficiaries will face an estimated 19 percent cut in their monthly payments.

When asked what would happen if the trust funds ran short, 36 percent of respondents said payments would stop. Only 34 percent correctly answered that benefits would be paid but reduced. When told that benefits would indeed continue, nearly half estimated that payments would be cut by at least 50 percent.

Marylyn Jones, an 87-year-old grandmother from Las Vegas who joined Minter-Jordan for the survey release, said older Americans should not have to worry that Congress won’t act to shore up the program.

“Social Security for me is a lifeline,” she said. “It means independence for me.”

To avert the shortfall, Congress will have to increase revenue coming into the program (for example, by raising payroll taxes), reduce overall spending on benefits (for example, by raising the full retirement age) or combine both approaches. Some 90 percent of respondents to the AARP poll, including 85 percent of those ages 18 to 49, said it would be unfair to make changes that affect payments for people in or near retirement.

Minter-Jordan said AARP will push members of Congress to address Social Security’s financial issues before 2034.

“We’ll fight as hard and long as we need to ensure that Social Security remains the economic bedrock of retirement for generations to come.”

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Deirdre Shesgreen is an AARP writer and editor covering Social Security. She previously worked as a state news editor for the AARP Bulletin and as a reporter and editor at USA Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other publications.