2019 Social Security Survey

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Social Security Survey

Speak Out! How Can We Expand and Strengthen Social Security?

Social Security is forecast to become insolvent within the next 15 years unless Congress takes action. Should Social Security become insolvent, benefits would be cut by as much as 21% to match payroll tax revenues coming in. Yet benefit cuts alone aren’t the only way to achieve program solvency. The following survey presents a number of options that would help strengthen the program, and several that would enhance benefits. Please review each question and select the answer that most closely agrees with your opinion.

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1. With which of the following four statements do you most closely agree?

To make Social Security sustainable for the future, benefits need to be cut by 21% because we can’t raise payroll taxes any higher than the current levels.
To make Social Security more sustainable for the future, we should increase revenues by 2.78% from 12.4% to 15.18%.
To strengthen the adequacy of Social Security benefits for all recipients, and to ensure program solvency for decades to come, we need to gradually increase the rate of payroll taxes from 12.4% to 14/8% and to apply payroll taxes to wages above $132,900.

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2. Benefit cut proposals vary considerably but there are three main types. In general, which of the following types reflect what you would support? Check all that apply.

Reduce the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
Reduce the monthly level of benefits.
Increase the eligibility age for Social Security benefits.
I would not support any of the above.

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3. Which of the following types of benefit cuts would you support, if the cuts were to affect only the highest-income retirees (incomes over $250,000). Check all that apply.

Reduce or eliminate the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
Reduce the monthly level of benefits.
Increase the eligibility age for Social Security benefits.
I would not support any of the above.

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4. Should annual COLAs be eliminated for Social Security recipients having incomes higher than $85,000 (individual) or $170,000 (couples)?

Yes
No
Not sure

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5. To increase revenues coming into Social Security, which of the following approaches would you support? Check all that apply.

Very gradually increase the Social Security payroll tax rate paid by workers and employers.
Apply the Social Security payroll tax to a higher portion of earnings, instead of just the first $132,900 in wages.
Apply the Social Security payroll tax to all earnings (like we currently do with Medicare taxes.)
Apply the Social Security payroll tax to investment income of the wealthy.
Subject all Social Security income received by beneficiaries to taxation like pension income. All Social Security income would be fully taxable except for the portion representing the amount paid in.
None of the above

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6. Under current law both the employee and employer pay 6.2% in Social Security taxes on wages, a total of 12.4%. Which of the following approaches to raising payroll tax revenue would you support? Check all that apply.

Gradually increase the payroll tax rate by a total of 1% from 12.4% to 13.4%. Increase the tax 0.1 percentage point each year until employee and employer each pay 6.7%.
Gradually increase the payroll tax rate by a total of 2.4% from 12.4% to 14.8%. Increase the tax 0.1 percentage point each year until the employee and employer each pay 7.4%.
Increase the payroll tax rate by a total of 2.8%, from 12.4% to 15.2%. Increase the tax 0.2 percentage point per year until the employee and employer pay 7.6% each.
None of the above
Not sure

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7. Under current law Social Security taxes are not applied to all earnings, but only to the taxable maximum, currently $132,900. All earnings are currently counted towards benefits. Which of the following changes would you most support?

Apply the payroll tax to all earnings. Credit the additional earnings for benefit purposes.
Apply the payroll tax to all earnings. No credit of additional earnings for benefit purposes.
Apply the payroll tax to all earnings to the taxable maximum ($132,900) and then to wages above $250,000. (This would leave a gap where no payroll taxes are applied on wages higher than $132,900 and lower than $250,000.) Credit the additional earnings for benefit purposes.
Apply the payroll tax to all earnings to the taxable maximum ($132,900) and then to wages above $250,000. This leaves a gap of where no payroll taxes are applied on wages higher than $132,900 and lower than $250,000. No credit of the additional earnings for benefit purposes.
None of the above

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8. How much should Congress boost Social Security benefits? Please check all that you would support.

Increase average benefits across-the-board by about $30 per month.
Increase average benefits across-the-board by about $70 per month.
Establish a formula based on the average benefit which would boost low benefits more and high benefits less.
No benefit increase. We can't afford to increase benefits.
Not sure

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9. How should Congress modify the annual Social Security COLA? Please check all answers that you would support.

Base it on the CPI-E so it better reflects the inflation of recipients (average 0.2% higher COLA).
Base it on the "chained" CPI so it grows more slowly (average 0.2% lower COLA).
Guarantee an annual COLA no less than 3%.
Leave the COLA unchanged.
Not sure

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10. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Congress should ensure those who worked long careers with low earnings receive Social Security benefits no lower than 125% of the poverty level, about $1,301 per month in 2019.

Agree
Disagree
Not sure

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11. Do you support the following statement: To help the oldest Social Security recipients Congress should ensure those who have received Social Security for at least 20 years receive a boost in benefits.

Support
Oppose
Not sure

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12. What is your greatest concern regarding the future of the Social Security program? Please check only one of the following.

My benefits will keep growing more slowly than my living expenses.
My benefits will be cut by Congress in order to reduce the deficit.
Social Security won't be around for future generations.
I don’t have any concerns about Social Security.

13. Undocumented immigrant workers who later receive legal work authorization may file a claim for Social Security benefits if they meet other eligibility requirements. Individuals who have evidence of earnings such as pay stubs and W2s may request that earnings from jobs performed prior to receiving legal work authorization be added to authorized work earnings for use in calculating Social Security benefits even when false, invalid or stolen Social Security numbers were used. Please check the answer below that most closely reflects how you feel about this policy.

An undocumented immigrant worker who has Social Security payroll taxes withheld should be entitled to Social Security benefits based on all earnings, regardless of whether work was performed under invalid or false Social Security numbers.
If an undocumented immigrant worker has payroll taxes withheld for jobs worked under invalid or false Social Security number, those earnings SHOULD NOT be included for benefit calculations because the payments were made using fraudulent documents.
Not sure

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Stop Taxing Social Security Petition

The Senior Citizens League will collect online and print petitions and use its collective voice to urge Members of Congress to pass legislation like the You Earned It, You Keep It Act. Sign the Stop Taxing Social Security Benefits Petition today!

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