Deric Joyner
According to a new PEW Research Center For the People and the Press survey report, “Public’s Priorities For 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism,” Social Security ranks fourth in Americans’ top priorities for President Obama and the Congress for 2010, ranked just below the Economy, Jobs and Terrorism. The PEW poll shows that six-in-ten Americans (66%) say that securing the Social Security system should be a top priority. Near uniformity in opinion between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — (Dem. 68) (Rep. 62) (Ind. 66) — on Social Security provides further context on Americans overall opinion on the subject.
These latest PEW survey results reinforce the findings from NASI’s recent poll, “Economic Crisis Fuels Support for Social Security: Americans’ Views on Social Security,” on the value that Americans place on Social Security benefits for themselves and the country as a whole. An overwhelming number of Americans — 90 % — want Congress to act within the next two years to preserve Social Security. The NASI survey report also found that nearly nine in ten (88%) Americans say Social Security is more important than ever as a result of today’s economic crisis, and three-quarters of Americans say it is critical to preserve Social Security even if it means that working Americans have to pay higher taxes to do so. Americans are willing to pay for Social Security because they value it for themselves (72%), for their families (75%), and for the security and stability it provides to millions of retired Americans, disabled individuals, and children and widowed spouses of deceased workers (87%).