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Members of Congress Could Lose Older Voters by Backing Proposed Cut to Social Security, Vets Benefits—New National AARP Poll

Voters 50+ Oppose the Chained CPI, Believe Social Security Should Not Be Cut to Reduce the Deficit

Washington, DC –Today AARP released new national survey results that show 66 percent of older American voters, would be considerably less favorable to their member of Congress if the member voted for a chained or superlative CPI proposal, expected to be in the President’s budget proposal this week. The survey shows that 84 percent of voters age 50+ oppose the highly unpopular idea of reducing Social Security benefits to reduce the deficit. AARP will also release a series of fourteen state specific surveys in the days ahead that could indicate how a vote for benefit cuts would impact a number of House and Senate races across the nation.

“This cut to Social Security would break the promise to seniors and hurt veterans who’ve sacrificed so much for this great country,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “The chained CPI reduction snowballs over time and would increase taxes for most taxpayers – at the same time that it cuts benefits for children, veterans, widows, retirees, and people with disabilities. As this survey shows, older Americans oppose the chained CPI and they’ve historically made their opinions known to their elected officials.”

Results in the survey on the impact of chained CPI include:

• 66% of voters 50+ would be less favorable towards their Member of Congress if they voted for a chained or superlative CPI (69% Democrats, 60% Republicans, 67% Independents).
• 78% of voters 50+ oppose reducing the annual benefit increase retired and disabled veterans receive by changing the way the cost of living increase is calculated for veterans’ benefits (80% Democrats, 72% Republicans, 79% Independents).
• 87% of voters 50+ believe it’s very important that benefits are not reduced for today’s seniors.
• 52% of voters 50+ oppose increasing taxes for most taxpayers by changing the way the tax code is adjusted for inflation through chained CPI (47% Democrats, 61% Republicans, 50% Independents). However, 13% said they do not know if they support or oppose this, indicating there is little public understanding of how the chained CPI would affect a person’s taxes.
• 84% of voters 50+ oppose reducing Social Security benefits to reduce the deficit (91% Democrats, 80% Republicans, 78% Independents).
• 84% of voters 50+ believe that the future of Social Security should be considered separately from the budget deficit discussions (85% Democrats, 83% Republicans, 82% Independents).

The results of the full survey were put together by Woelfel Research, an independent research firm, that conducted 801 interviews of registered voters age 50+ on March 19 and March 20, 2013. This survey has a margin of sampling error of +/- 3.5%.

About AARP:

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment security and retirement planning. We advocate for consumers in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services.

A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world’s largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP VIVA, a bilingual news source. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.