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Has support for Social Security declined? Attitudes toward the public pension scheme in the USA, 2000 and 2010
Author(s) -
Quadagno Jill,
Pederson JoEllen
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2012.00877.x
Subject(s) - social security , pension , government (linguistics) , population , political science , depression (economics) , population ageing , economic growth , demographic economics , economics , public administration , sociology , demography , law , philosophy , linguistics , macroeconomics
Quadagno J, Pederson J. Has support for Social Security declined? Attitudes toward the public pension scheme in the USA, 2000 and 2010 Given rising public budgets and population aging, many nations have made significant changes to their public pensions. Between 2000 and 2010, the USA experienced an economic crisis as deep as the Great Depression of the 1930s. Yet despite charges that Social Security, the public pension benefit, was responsible for the federal deficit, no reforms were enacted during this period. This study used the General Social Survey for 2000 and 2010 to determine whether public support for Social Security has declined and whether attitudes have changed among some groups more than others. Between 2000 and 2010, attitudes have shifted somewhat toward the view that too much is being spent on Social Security. The shift is greatest among the young and those who believe in less government. Despite this shift, the vast majority of citizens still believe that the government is spending too little or just the right amount.