Which of the following potential solutions to Social Security would you support?

💰 Tax hike (30%) – "Too many who receive social security operate on a tight budget. Cutting their benefits would create a new crisis. Also, social security is a commitment that we made to all those retired workers. Cutting benefits amounts to going back on our promise to them."

• "I can’t believe I’m suggesting a tax hike, but I can’t see how else it could be funded. We can’t strand people who worked their whole life to pay into a system that is now unsustainable. An alternative is to pay for it some other way, like through lottery proceeds."
• "Benefits are already too low to really live on comfortably. This problem could also be addressed by simply raising the income cap on which SS tax is based. Currently the cutoff is around $160K. Increase that to $200K and we could raise more money for SS, without actually raising the tax rate."

✂️ Benefit cut (9%) – "I am working now, don't need more taxes taken out just to be handed to someone else. I have been diligently preparing for retirement since joining the workforce, and warnings about Social Security insolvency have ever present for many, many years. So really have never counted on getting anything from it. If happen to get anything when I retire, that would be just a bonus on top of what I have done for my family."

🤝 Combination of both (22%) – "It is neither acceptable to overburden Americans who are a part of the workforce by overtaxing them, nor is it acceptable to under-support retired people simply because there are more of them than our system will soon be able to accommodate. Therefore, a compromise that would require a sacrifice from both workers and retirees would be less burdensome to both."

• "Sacrifices must be made. If the workers must pay more taxes it seems only fair that we older folks take a decrease in income as well."

📈 Raise the minimum retirement age (21%) – "I hate to vote this way, however, if people are living longer (and working longer) this is what makes sense without hindering others in terms of taxes and pay outs."

• "The program's foundational principle is a reasonable life span. It's great news that people are living longer! But with that means they must work longer. The program, at its current tax and benefit rate, is sustainable for a population that benefits from it for about 15 years."

🙅‍♀️ Do nothing (5%) – "Why should I have to pay more into an account that's promising to take care of me after I retire, but by the time I retire it'll be obliterated?"

🤷‍♀️ Other/unsure (13%) – "I think Social Security should just be phased out, or be optional. I would rather not be forced to pay into it, and use that money to put into my own retirement accounts."

• "There has got to be a better way to support our older generation. I can't afford tax hikes combined with inflation but they deserve a quality life too. This isn't an answer for everyone but encouraging multi-generational homes might help. There are many benefits – especially for young children and older adults."