For Immediate Release – June 16, 2025
New TSCL Study Estimates 21.8 Million Seniors Get by On Social Security Alone
Most Seniors are frustrated with their Social Security benefits. Almost two-thirds of seniors who completed the survey said they were dissatisfied with the amount they receive from their monthly Social Security checks. Meanwhile, 94 percent said they felt the 2025 COLA of 2.5 percent was too low and that their benefits grow more slowly than inflation.
Benefit reform is a top priority for seniors. Nearly all respondents (95 percent) said reforming Social Security and Medicare should be a top priority for the Presidential Administration and Congress.
Key Insights:
Most seniors think 2024’s inflation was much higher than the government’s estimate. The 2025 COLA, which is supposed to adjust Social Security checks to keep pace with inflation that occurred in 2024, was 2.5 percent. When TSCL asked seniors how much they thought inflation was in 2024 based on their economic experiences, 80 percent thought inflation was 3 percent or higher.
Nearly all seniors want to see reforms in Social Security’s COLA calculation. When TSCL asked seniors whether they would support any of three different policies to raise future COLAs, 96 percent said they were in favor of at least one. The most popular option, supported by 68 percent of seniors, was calculating the COLA with an inflation index that better represents seniors’ economic experiences. The government currently calculates the COLA with the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners, but TSCL advocates switching to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly.
TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton says…
“The data in this study shows what seniors have been telling TSCL for years: Social Security checks aren’t keeping up with inflation. If four in five seniors think inflation was higher than the government reported in 2024, maybe we should stop questioning their experiences and start questioning why the COLA is failing to measure them.”
“Seniors also want to fund stronger COLAs and benefits for future generations by cutting loopholes in the Social Security payroll tax. The data show their favorite method for doing so is eliminating the limit on earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes, which is currently just a loophole that lets wealthy Americans pay less than their fair share into the program.”
“Cutting Social Security benefits simply isn’t an option. With nearly three-quarters of seniors depending on Social Security for at least half their income, any cuts to the program or reductions in benefits would push millions of hard-working Americans further into poverty, robbing them of their right to retire with dignity.
About TSCL:
The Senior Citizen’s League (TSCL) is one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan seniors’ groups. Established in 1992 as a special project of The Retired Enlisted Association, our mission is to promote and assist our members and supporters, educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. citizens, and protect and defend the benefits seniors have earned and paid for. TSCL consists of vocally active senior citizens concerned about the protection of their Social Security, Medicare, and veteran or military retiree benefits. To learn more, visit https://seniorsleague.org/about-us/.
About the 2025 Senior Survey:
TSCL surveyed American seniors over the age of 62 who were eligible for their Social Security benefits. Overall, 3,050 participants took the survey, with 1,920 providing complete enough data to use in the study. TSCL distributed the survey from January to March 2025, then analyzed the results from April to May 2025. The full findings of the study are available for free here.
Contact Information:
Shannon Benton, Executive Director: sbenton@tsclhq.org; 703-548-5568
Alex Moore, Statistician: amoore@tsclhq.org; 571-374-2658
Access Senior Survey Report Here
