AARP
Florida women voters overwhelmingly favor fast action to update Social Security and keep it strong for their children and grandchildren, according to a new AARP poll of women voters nationwide and in Florida.
Overwhelmingly, 74 percent of women voters 50-plus agreed Congress and the next president should act immediately on Social Security, while 53 percent said they would be impacted if the program is not updated by 2034, when beneficiaries could face a cut of nearly a quarter of their benefits. The poll also showed Democrat Hillary Clinton leading Republican nominee Donald Trump among Florida female voters age 50-plus, 47 percent to 38 percent, with 11 percent of women voters still undecided.
“Women depend enormously on Social Security and this survey shows they’re concerned about the program’s future,” said Leslie Spencer, associate state director for AARP Florida, who is overseeing AARP’s Take A Stand initiative in Florida. “Women voters say they haven’t heard much on the major-party candidates’ plans to update Social Security.”
Some 64 percent of those surveyed said they hadn’t seen or heard Clinton’s plan for Social Security, while 75 percent said they hadn’t heard from Trump on his plans for Social Security.
To learn more about the candidates’ plans, go to 2016takeastand.org.
Women voters age 50-plus also strongly favored (67 percent to 30 percent) a proposal to allow family caregivers who take time away from work to receive credit for their caregiving time when calculating Social Security benefits. Some 75 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of independents favored such a proposal.
Half of women voters age 50-plus said they thought Clinton would do a better job of handling Social Security, while 38 percent thought Trump would do better.
AARP’s Take A Stand is a national campaign focused on elevating the importance of taking steps now to keep Social Security strong and adequate for future generations. Among other program elements, AARP Take A Stand volunteers across the country are attending campaign events by 2016 presidential candidates and asking them for their plans for Social Security.
The survey was conducted Aug. 1-8 by Lake Research Partners and American Viewpoint. The 717 Florida survey respondents included registered likely voters age 50 and older reached by both cellphone and landline. The survey is believed to be accurate within plus or minus 3.8 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
For more information on Take A Stand, visit takeastand.AARP.org or follow us on Twitter @AARPFL.
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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50-plus have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; the AARP Bulletin magazine, our monthly newspaper; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. 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. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
