New AARP Survey Shows Confidence in the Future of Social Security Among Younger Adults at 15-Year-Low

By 2035, more than 82 million people are projected to rely on Social Security, roughly 13 million more than today

A new AARP report released today, ahead of Social Security’s 90th anniversary, reveals Americans’ confidence in the future of Social Security has declined by 7 percentage points in the last five years, from 43% in 2020 to 36% in 2025. This is the lowest level since 2010, when confidence in Social Security was at 35%. Younger adults are generally less confident: just 25% of people ages 18-49 are confident in the program’s future, compared to 48% of those 50 and older.

The report also shows that more than two-thirds of Americans (67%) view Social Security as more important to retirees today than five years ago. Overall, 96% of Americans consider Social Security important, with broad agreement across party lines: 98% of Democrats, 95% of Republicans and 93% of Independents all say the same.

“For 90 years, Social Security has never missed a payment, and Idahoans should have confidence that it never will,” said AARP Idaho state director Karianne Fallow. “AARP will never stop fighting to protect the Social Security payments that Idahoans have earned from a lifetime of hard work.”

The importance of this program is undeniable. More than one in five Idaho residents (395,451 people) receive Social Security benefits. These payments inject more than $8 billion into the Gem State’s economy every year and for most retirees, Social Security is their largest source of income. The average retired worker benefit in Idaho is now $1,880 a month.

Additional findings from the survey show:

• Nearly two in three (65%) retired Americans say they rely substantially on Social Security, while another 21 percent say they rely on it somewhat. In 2020, 63% of retired Americans said they relied substantially on Social Security, jumping from 58% in both 2015 and 2010.
• More than three-quarters of Americans (78%) are worried that Social Security will not provide enough to live on during retirement. In 2020, 74% of people said the same.
• Sixty-two percent of people think the average Social Security payment of $2,000/month is too low. In 2020, 65% of people thought the average monthly payment was too low, compared to 61% in 2015 and 54% in 2010.
• Consistent with previous surveys, 89% of people believe Social Security makes it possible for older Americans to remain independent.

The Social Security Trustees Report, released in June, showed that if no action is taken by Congress prior to 2034, Social Security will only be able to pay out 81% of promised benefits from then on. According to the report, more than 82 million Americans are projected to be receiving Social Security retirement benefits in 2035.

The 90^th anniversary report builds on AARP’s long-standing public opinion research on Social Security and examines how views have changed since 2005 on Social Security’s role in retirement, its importance to future generations, and the barriers Americans face in saving for retirement.

Methodology: AARP commissioned a national survey of 3,599 adults ages 18 and older to understand their attitudes and opinions on Social Security. The interviews were conducted June 18–23, 2025 online and by telephone. The data are weighted by age, gender, census division, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and AARP membership.