Poll: Senior Anxiety About Social Security Future Hits New High

Well, folks, it looks like America’s seniors are starting to sweat about their Social Security benefits! Nearly 30% of Americans aged 60 and older are now wondering if Social Security will be there when they need it, according to a fresh poll from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

That’s quite the jump from last year when only about 20% were biting their nails over retirement security. Talk about a retirement anxiety growth spurt! And it’s not just the gray-haired crowd—more than half of all Americans surveyed (52%) are about as confident in Social Security’s future as they are in gas station sushi.

Wall Street Bigwig Takes the Social Security Administration Wheel

In what could be described as perfect timing (or terrible timing, depending on your political flavor), the Senate just confirmed Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration (SSA). This Wall Street hotshot’s appointment had Democrats clutching their pearls faster than you can say “401k.”

Why all the drama? Well, word on the street is that tech billionaire Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency, and other Trump administration officials want to:

• Trim the SSA workforce by 7,000 positions
• Shutter dozens of Social Security offices
• Make significant operational changes

That’s like deciding the best way to improve a restaurant is to fire the cooks and close half the dining room!

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t mince words, calling it “putting a fox in the hen house.” He added that “Bisignano is slash and burn” and accused Republicans of trying to “strangle” Social Security rather than openly opposing it. Apparently, Schumer thinks Bisignano could squeeze the life out of Social Security benefits faster than a python at an all-you-can-eat rabbit buffet.

Economic Jitters Spreading Like Wildfire

The poll also revealed that Americans aren’t exactly doing cartwheels over the economy. Public concerns about Social Security’s future are part of broader economic anxieties:

• 61% disapprove of President Trump’s economic policies
• Only 37% are giving his economic approach a thumbs up
• Many worry about retirement security and whether Social Security will be there when they need it

All this economic hand-wringing comes as President Trump’s tariff policies have global markets doing the hokey pokey. Relations with allies like Canada and the European Union have gotten about as comfortable as a wool sweater in August.

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,260 people from April 17 to 21, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points—which is still more accurate than your uncle’s weather predictions about your retirement future.