Americans willing to raise payroll taxes to save Social Security
Even though wage earning taxpayers are already paying an extra 2 percent this year after the expiration of the payroll tax cut, a new survey shows that Americans are willing to pay more to preseve Social Security.
"At a time when Americans seem deeply divided about the right size and role of government, it is striking that Americans across political and generational lines agree on specific policies to pay for and improve Social Security benefits," said Jasmine V. Tucker, NASI research associate, who co-authored the report with NASI's Virginia P. Reno, vice president for income security, and Thomas N. Bethell, a senior fellow.
About the survey: The online survey of 2,000 Americans ages 21 and older was conducted by Ipsos Loyalty from September 17-24, 2012, drawing from a pool of 700,000 consumers who have volunteered to participate in surveys. Online interviews, averaging 25 minutes, explored participants' knowledge and attitudes about Social Security and their preferences when choosing among many possible combinations of policy changes. Results were weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. population in the 2010 census.
