Questions - Medicare and Social Security - June 21, 2011
65% Believe Americans Should Have Right to Pick Own Social Security Retirement Age
63% Say Medicare Costs Can Be Reduced Without Hurting Quality of Care
30% Favor Tax Hikes To Keep Social Security, Medicare Solvent
65% Say Current Taxes Not Enough to Fund Medicare, Social Security Promises
One-in-Three Voters View Social Security, Medicare Unfavorably
51% Now Recognize Most Federal Spending Goes to Defense, Medicare and Social Security
Platinum Page
National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
Conducted June 21, 2011
By Rasmussen Reports
1* Is the following statement true or
false? Most federal spending is spent on only three programs—Social Security,
Medicare and national defense?
2* Suppose Congress wants to change Medicare or Social
Security. Should any proposed change be submitted to a vote of the American
people before it can become law?
3* Do you
have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very
unfavorable impression of Social Security?
4* Do you
have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very
unfavorable impression of Medicare?
5* Is it possible to reduce the cost of Medicare without
hurting the quality of health care for senior citizens?
6* Is it possible to reduce the cost of Medicare by changing
Medicare or is it necessary to reduce the overall cost of health care services
in the
7* Are
Social Security and Medicare Taxes paid into Trust Funds that are supposed to
be used only for paying Social Security and Medicare benefits?
8* How
important is it to make sure that the Trust Funds collect enough in taxes to
pay for all promised Social Security and Medicare benefits?
9* Is the
current level of taxes paid into the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds
enough to fund all the benefits promised for today’s workers?
10* To make sure that Social Security and Medicare Trust funds
have enough money to pay all promised benefits, would you favor raising taxes,
raising the retirement age for future generations, or cutting the promised
level of benefits?
11* Does
the government pay some Medicare benefits out of the general operating budget
or does all the money come from a Medicare Trust Fund?
12*
Which would provide more
security for retirees: Making sure the Social Security Trust Funds are
protected and adequately funded, or getting rid of the Trust Funds and having
the federal government pay all promised benefits out of the annual operating
budget?
13* A
proposal has been made that would let people select their own Social Security
and Medicare retirement age. Those who wanted to retire earlier would pay more
in taxes and those who wanted to pay less in taxes would retire later. So long
as they are paying enough to cover the cost of their own decision, should
people have the right to pick their own Social Security and Medicare retirement
age?
14* (Answered
only by those under 65 years old) If you had a choice would you be most likely
to pay more in taxes and begin collecting retirement benefits earlier or would
you be most likely to pay less in taxes now and begin collecting benefits
later?
15* (Answered
by those under 65 years old who said they would pay less in taxes and collect
benefits later) Would you be more likely to set aside the tax savings in a
private retirement account or would you be more likely to spend the money on
current expenses?
16* (Answered
by only those under 40 years old) Under current law,
you are eligible to begin collecting Social Security retirement benefits at age
67. How likely is it that you will receive all promised benefits?
17* (Answered
by only those under 40 years old) Suppose you had a
chance to immediately stop paying all Social Security taxes for the rest of
your life. Your employer would continue to make payments to the Trust Fund on
your behalf and you would not receive any Social Security benefits until age
75. Would you rather stop paying Social Security taxes now and begin collecting
benefits at age 75 or continue paying Social Security taxes and begin
collecting benefits at age 67?
18* Is it possible to continue Medicare as it is today without
raising taxes?
19* Is it possible to continue Social Security as it is today
without raising taxes?
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence