Social Security

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Feb. 19-22, 2009. N=1,001 adults nationwide.

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"How confident are you the Social Security system will be able to pay your full benefits throughout your retirement: very confident, somewhat confident, not so confident or not confident at all?" Asked of half the sample

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2/19-22/09

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CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Oct. 3-5, 2008. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

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"As you may know, a proposal has been made that would allow workers to invest part of their Social Security taxes in the stock market or in bonds, while the rest of those taxes would remain in the Social Security system. Do you favor or oppose this proposal?"

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10/3-5/08

6/26-29/08

CBS News Poll. Oct. 12-16, 2007. N=1,282 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

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"Which of the following do you think best describes the financial situation of Social Security today? It is in crisis. It is in serious trouble, but not in crisis. It is in some trouble. OR, It is not really in trouble at all."

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10/12-16/07

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. July 22-24, 2005. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

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"Based on what you have heard or read, in general, do you approve or disapprove of George W. Bush's approach to addressing the Social Security system?"

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7/22-24/05

3/18-20/05

2/4-6/05

CBS News/New York Times Poll. June 10-15, 2005. N=1,111 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults).

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"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling Social Security?"

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Approve

Disapprove

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"Do you have confidence in George W. Bush's ability to make the right decisions about Social Security, or are you uneasy about his approach?"

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Confident

Uneasy

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"Which of the following do you think best describes the financial situation of Social Security today? It is in crisis. It is in serious trouble, but not in crisis. It is in some trouble. OR, It is not really in trouble at all."

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"Do you think the Social Security system will have the money available to provide the benefits you expect for your retirement?"

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"Regardless of how you usually vote, do you think the Republican Party or the Democratic Party is more likely to make the right decisions about Social Security?"

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"On the whole, do you think it should or should not be the government's responsibility to provide a decent standard of living for the elderly?" Form A (N=588)

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"Some people have suggested allowing individuals to invest portions of their Social Security taxes on their own, which might allow them to make more money for their retirement, but would involve greater risk. Do you think allowing individuals to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes on their own is a good idea or a bad idea?" Form C (N=562)

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"Some people have suggested allowing individuals to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes on their own into a small number of authorized investment funds, which might allow them to make more money for their retirement, but would involve greater risk. Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea?" Form D (N=549)

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"What effect do you think allowing individuals to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes on their own would have on the financial situation of the Social Security program itself? Would it make the program's financial situation better, make it worse, or would it not have much impact on the Social Security program's financial situation?"

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"Currently, people pay Social Security taxes only on the first $90,000 of their annual income. If it were necessary to keep the Social Security program paying benefits as it does now, would you favor or oppose increasing the amount of income that is subject to Social Security taxes?"

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"If it were necessary to keep the Social Security program paying benefits as it does now, would you favor or oppose raising the age at which a person can retire and receive full Social Security benefits?"

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"If it were necessary to keep the Social Security program paying benefits as it does now, would you favor or oppose increasing the Social Security tax rate?"

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"What if the government decided to address Social Security's financial problems by having future Social Security benefits grow more slowly than they do now for middle‑ and high‑income people, while allowing benefits to grow as scheduled for low-income people? Would that be acceptable or not acceptable?"

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"From what you know, are the problems with the Social Security system so serious they must be fixed right now; OR serious, but do not need to be fixed for another ten or fifteen years; OR not very serious at all?"

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"President Bush has proposed some specific changes to Social Security. He proposes that future increases in Social Security benefits would be smaller for most Americans, but people with the lowest incomes would continue receiving increases in their benefits as they do now. People would be offered the option of investing some of their Social Security taxes in personal accounts. Do you think, in general, this plan for Social Security is a good idea or a bad idea?"

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"Do you expect to get back more money than you've contributed to Social Security, less money than you contributed, or about the same amount of money?"

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"If people are allowed to invest some of their Social Security money on their own, which do you think is most likely to happen: most people will make profits on the Social Security money they invest on their own, most people will suffer losses, or most people will break even?"

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ABC News/Washington Post Poll. June 2-5, 2005. N=1,002 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3. Fieldwork by TNS.

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"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling Social Security?"

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6/2-5/05

4/21-24/05

3/10-13/05

1/12-16/05