Americans Have Every Reason to Doubt Social Security Solvency

Kathryn Nix / April 21, 2010

A recent poll by Rasmussen shows that 58 percent of Americans lack confidence that they will receive their promised Social Security benefits in their entirety.  The poll showed just 13 percent feel very confident they will receive their benefits.

As usual, the sense of the American people is spot-on.  As the population ages, the cost to the federal government of running the Social Security program, which Americans workers pay into their whole lives, will skyrocket.  This trend is made crystal clear in Heritage’s recently published 2010 Budget Chart Book.  Social Security experienced red ink in 2009, and is on course to do so again in 2010—Heritage’s David John writes that “If there is a strong economic recovery — which is questionable at best — the program could briefly return to surpluses. But by 2016, deficits will return and continue permanently.” (more…)