Polls Show Most Women Say They Aren’t Financially Secure

A majority of women aged 25 and older indicated they aren’t secure financially and are worried about saving for retirement, according to two polls.

The surveys for the National Council on Aging and Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement found just over half of all respondents said they do not consider themselves financially secure. That figure was 77% for low-income women earning $25,000 or less annually, or those part of a household of two or more people with an annual income of $50,000 or less.

In addition, most felt “worried” or “uncertain” when thinking about retirement, while one-third of lower-income respondents explained they were “terrified.”

Bill McInturff, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, which helped conduct the research, said that women told poll takers that they “do not have enough savings, inflation has caused a lot of pain to their wallets, and they have debt.”

The survey also gauged women’s opinions about what government actions they would support to help boost their economic status. Among the ideas backed by more than 90% were changes to Social Security that would increase benefits, and the creation of a government-provided retirement plan for those whose employers don’t offer one.