A New Survey Shows a Stark Generational Divide Over Who Should Bear the Cost of Saving Social Security

Cutting Social Security benefits is a tough sell with older Americans, even when the alternative could mean higher taxes for younger workers. In a December 2025 Cato Institute/YouGov survey of 2,000 adults, 89% of people age 65 and older chose protecting current retirees' benefits in that trade-off.

With so many older Americans depending on those monthly checks, it's easy to see why protecting them gets such strong support. If you are already retired or getting close, the outcome could affect how much income you can count on and how you plan around your retirement goals. Here's what to know.

The choice that split older and younger Americans

The Cato/YouGov survey asked people to choose between two clear options:

• Protect current retirees' benefits, even if younger workers have to pay higher taxes.
• Protect younger workers from higher taxes, even if current retirees receive smaller benefits.

Across all adults, 69% chose to protect retirees' benefits, while 31% chose to protect younger workers. Among people age 65 and older, support for protecting benefits rose to 89%.

Among adults under 30, 47% chose to protect retirees, while 53% preferred shielding younger workers from higher taxes.

Real Social Security legislation wouldn't have to follow such a simple either-or choice. Congress has other ways to address the program's funding gap, but the poll shows how differently older and younger Americans view who should pay more to close it.

Why older and younger Americans see the choice differently

Many older Americans have paid into Social Security for decades and now depend heavily on those monthly checks. For retirees with little other income, even a modest benefit cut could mean having less money available for regular expenses each month.

Younger workers may have a harder time warming to higher Social Security taxes. Many are already dealing with expensive housing or student debt, and they have decades to wait before they can collect benefits themselves.

Research from the National Institute on Retirement Security has found strong support for Social Security across age groups, though younger adults tend to be less certain about the program's future.

Simply put, an older retiree may look at Social Security as a benefit they've spent a career paying for, while a younger worker may be wondering how much more they'll have to contribute before their own retirement arrives.

Where both generations actually agree

Older and younger Americans are much closer when the question turns to keeping Social Security around for future generations. In an August 2026 AARP poll, 97% of respondents age 65 and older agreed that younger generations should receive the benefits they're earning. Among adults ages 18 to 49, 87% agreed.

AARP also found that 95% of Americans consider Social Security important. Much of the disagreement comes down to how the program should be funded and how much people are willing to pay to protect it.

In the Cato poll, 55% initially supported raising the payroll tax rate to about 16% to close Social Security's funding gap. Once respondents were told that increase could cost them roughly $1,300 more a year, 77% opposed it, showing how quickly support can change when the personal cost becomes clearer.

People may broadly agree that Social Security should be there for younger generations, but finding a way to pay for it that most Americans will support is much harder.

The Social Security changes Congress could consider

Congress has several ways it could bring in more money or slow future benefit growth, and each one would affect people differently:

• Raise the payroll tax rate: Workers and employers would pay more Social Security tax on earnings up to the taxable maximum.
• Tax more wages for higher earners: Removing or raising the wage cap would put most of the added cost on higher-income workers while leaving many others unchanged.
• Raise the full retirement age: Future retirees would effectively receive smaller lifetime benefits if they claim at the same age as they do today.
• Change the COLA formula: Smaller annual increases could reduce benefit growth over time, especially for people who collect Social Security for many years.

A final deal could pull from more than one of these ideas rather than relying on a single change. The 1983 Social Security reforms took that kind of approach, spreading changes across taxes and benefits and phasing them in over time.

How to leave room for future Social Security changes

The poll results show just how much lawmakers may have to work through as they decide what to do about Social Security's funding shortfall. Without changes, scheduled benefits could be reduced in the early 2030s.

You can't know exactly what Congress will do, but you can test how your retirement budget would hold up with a smaller benefit. Check your estimate at SSA.gov and compare your expenses with roughly 80% of that amount.

If the numbers feel too tight, you may want to look for ways to depend a little less on Social Security before you retire.

Bottom line

The surveys show that most Americans want Social Security to be there for future generations, even if they don't agree on who should pay more to keep it going. Any deal in Congress will likely have to find some middle ground.

For your own retirement, it helps to leave room for future changes instead of assuming today's rules will stay the same forever. Building up other income or savings can help you make the right moves if Social Security changes down the road.

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