Social Security & Medicare

Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer. Both trends intensified with the recession and are expected to continue after the economy recovers. One reason: Older workers value not just a paycheck, but the psychological and social rewards.

The American work force is graying -- and not just because the American population itself is graying. Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer.

Much of the opposition to health care reform today is being fueled by anti-government sentiment that did not exist during the mid-1960's.

In the midst of a recession that has taken a heavy toll on many nest eggs, just over half of all working adults ages 50 to 64 say they may delay their retirement -- and another 16% say they never expect to stop working.

Nearly six-in-ten Americans (58%) now say that their incomes are falling behind the rising cost of living, compared with just 44% who expressed this view in September 2007.

Support for government programs to help disadvantaged Americans, as well as sympathy for the plight of the poor, have surged since 1994 and returned to levels last seen in 1990 prior to welfare reform, with gains occurring among virtually every major social, political and demographic group.

Summary of Findings Increased public support for the social safety net, signs of growing public concern about income inequality, and a diminished appetite for assertive national security policies have improved the political landscape for the Democrats as the 2008 presidential campaign gets underway. At the same time, many of the key trends that nurtured the […]

That's the number of states, Florida most recently among them, experimenting with ways to put Medicaid recipients in charge of their health care, much like policyholders with private insurance.

More than three quarters of today’s workers expect to work for pay even after they retire. Of those who feel this way, most say it’s because they’ll want to, not because they’ll have to.

Summary of Findings Public acceptance of homosexuality has increased in a number of ways in recent years, though it remains a deeply divisive issue. Half of Americans (51%) continue to oppose legalizing gay marriage, but this number has declined significantly from 63% in February 2004, when opposition spiked following the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision and […]