As DOGE Dives Into Social Security, 60% of Americans Expect Retirement Age Hike

How Older Adults Feel About the Trump Administration and Social Security

Expectations about Trump’s impact on Social Security differed among age groups in our study. Overall, 51 percent of respondents believe Trump’s policies will hurt Social Security, while 30 percent expect him to have a positive impact. Among older adults (60+), 37 percent think his policies will improve the program—more than any other age group. Meanwhile, 60 percent of adults aged 30-44 expect a negative impact, making them the most skeptical.

When we asked respondents to explain why they felt positive or negative, their opinions fell into a few categories. Many who felt optimistic believed Trump’s economic policies could strengthen the program through job growth and increased revenue, while his promises to protect benefits reassured them. Some saw possibilities in congressional collaboration and considered proposals like benefit tax cuts or limited privatization as beneficial reforms that could enhance financial freedom for retirees and improve investment returns.

Many who felt the Trump administration would negatively impact Social Security feared potential benefit reductions that would harm vulnerable populations and worried that Trump’s policies might prioritize the interests of wealthier Americans at the expense of the program's financial stability. Some questioned whether the administration truly understands the importance of Social Security to the average American. They expressed anxiety about unpredictable policy shifts that could undermine this critical safety net for millions of retirees and people with disabilities.

Expected Policy Changes Under the Trump Administration

Early in his second term, President Trump announced a plan to cut payroll taxes, which could increase workers’ paychecks but eliminate a key funding source for Social Security. Experts warn that this could push the program closer to running out of full funding, possibly resulting in earlier benefit cuts.

If this plan goes into effect, Social Security could run out of full funding three years earlier than expected—moving the insolvency date from 2034 to 2031, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Cutting payroll taxes would also create a $2.3 trillion budget gap over the next 10 years and force a 33 percent benefit cut by 2035 instead of the 23 percent reduction in scheduled benefits currently expected under existing law.

What Policy Changes Do Americans Expect?

Beyond the payroll tax cut plan, Americans believed Trump might make other changes to Social Security during his term. Sixty percent of Americans in the study believe the Trump administration will attempt to raise the retirement age, which would be a controversial plan. Another 52 percent expect reductions in the amount of benefits for recipients.

Raising the retirement age isn’t a new idea. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that increasing it to 70 could help keep Social Security funded longer. Still, it would hit lower-income workers harder since they depend more on these benefits.

History shows that Social Security reforms are politically challenging. Past proposals to raise the retirement age or cut benefits have met strong public opposition. In 2005, President George W. Bush’s attempt at partial privatization failed due to bipartisan resistance. Even if Trump pushes for changes, major reforms won’t happen without Congress's support.

Could DOGE Target Social Security?

Some argue that Social Security spending is unsustainable and that a massive overhaul is needed. DOGE, a new initiative led by Elon Musk, has been set up to cut waste and streamline many federal programs including Social Security. Musk has recently claimed that the agency is riddled with immense fraud and must be thoroughly audited to reduce government spending.

While DOGE supporters say it could reduce government inefficiencies, some fear it could be used to justify significant Social Security cuts. Our survey results show mixed opinions on DOGE—while older adults were slightly more likely to support it, more respondents opposed the idea than favored it.

Among those 60 and older, 42 percent viewed DOGE favorably, but nearly half opposed it. Younger adults were the most doubtful, with 60 percent of those under 30 and 63 percent of those aged 30-44 viewing DOGE negatively.

Recent developments confirm DOGE's involvement with the Social Security Administration (SSA). On February 21, 2025, the SSA announced an “organizational realignment” of its Office of Analytics, Review, and Oversight (OARO).

Concerns About Social Security’s Future

The Social Security trust fund is projected to run out by 2035, meaning that if no policy changes occur, payroll taxes alone would only cover about 83 percent of scheduled benefits.

How Confident Are Americans in Social Security’s Future?

Confidence in the future of Social Security varied significantly by age among our study participants. Older adults (60+) were most optimistic, with 75 percent believing full benefits will continue past 2035. Younger generations are more skeptical—61 percent of those under 30 and 58 percent of those aged 30-44 felt it was unlikely that the SSA would pay full benefits past 2035.

Why the generational divide? A 2023 Gallup survey found that younger Americans express less confidence in Social Security’s future than older adults. For example, 48 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29 do not expect to receive Social Security benefits when they retire, compared to 34 percent of those adults aged 50 or older.

Solutions to Strengthen Social Security

Many solutions have been proposed in recent years that could prevent or delay Social Security's insolvency, but some are more popular than others. Many survey participants supported raising Social Security taxes on higher earners. Sixty-seven percent favored the idea, especially among older adults receiving Social Security benefits. Supporters argue this would strengthen Social Security without affecting lower-income workers.

Another popular solution would be raising the taxable wage cap. This could bring more money into Social Security by having high earners pay more taxes. In 2025, any income over $176,100 isn’t taxed for Social Security, so someone making $2 million annually contributes the same amount as someone earning just above that limit.

Many argue that this gives higher earners an unfair break while putting more strain on the program. Lifting or removing the cap would increase funding without raising taxes on lower—and middle-income workers.

Privatizing Social Security had far less support, especially among older adults. Only 11 percent of those 60 and older favored the idea. Many worry that tying benefits to the stock market could make retirement income unreliable, especially during economic downturns. Others see Social Security as a guaranteed benefit that shouldn’t be subject to investment risks.

Unconventional Ideas for Social Security’s Future

In addition to the solutions above, our respondents proposed alternative ways to bolster Social Security funds:

• Cutting foreign aid: A few suggested reducing financial assistance to other countries, such as Ukraine and Israel, and redirecting those funds to Social Security.
• Letting younger workers opt out: Some believe younger generations should be allowed to skip Social Security and invest in private retirement accounts instead.
• Changing how Social Security is funded: Ideas included using tariffs instead of payroll taxes or converting the program into a cryptocurrency-based system.
• Expanding U.S. territory: A handful speculated that annexing land and workers could boost the economy and help fund Social Security.

These ideas show how uncertain people feel about Social Security’s future and the different ways they think it could be funded.

The Future of Social Security: A Political Battleground

The future of Social Security is uncertain, and opinions are split. Older adults receiving benefits believe their payments will continue, while younger generations worry the money won't be there when they retire.

What happens now depends on political decisions. With Social Security at the center of policy debates, lawmakers must find a way to keep it funded without cutting benefits. The current tension between the administration and Democratic lawmakers over the organizational changes at the SSA suggests that Social Security will continue to be a contentious political issue for years to come.

Methodology

In January 2025, SeniorLiving.org researchers surveyed 1002 Americans, whose ages, genders, and ethnicities were representative of the U.S. population according to the Census. Respondents were asked about their perceptions of the future of Social Security generally and in the context of the Trump Administration, as well as their opinions on potential solutions to the issue of insolvency.