Cato poll: 89% of over-65s back protecting Social Security even with higher taxes on young
A Cato Institute/YouGov survey found 89% of Americans over 65 want current retiree benefits protected even if younger workers pay higher taxes, prompting criticism from conservative commentators on social media.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2A Cato Institute survey found that 89% of Americans over 65 said Social Security benefits for current retirees should be protected even if that means higher taxes for younger workers. NewsweekN “In a survey from the Cato Institute, 89 percent of Americans over age 65 said Social Security benefits should be protected even if it meant higher taxes for younger workers.” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR “In total, 89% of people over age 65 said current retiree benefits should be protected even if that means higher income taxes on young people.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 1The New York Post reported that 74% of Gen Xers aged 45 to 54 and 57% of those aged 30 to 44 (millennials) agreed, while 53% of Gen Zers, defined as people under 30, said they would rather cut benefits to seniors than raise taxes on the young; they were the only age group to favour cutting benefits. New York PostR “Among 30 to 44 year olds — aka millennials — 57% agreed, along with 74% of Gen Xers ages 45 to 54.”“They were the only age group that favored cutting Social Security benefits.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 1Cato's Emily Ekins, vice president and director of polling, told the Post she might not have guessed the figure would be so high for seniors, and said Gen Z sees older people as the richest Americans while young people have the least wealth. New York PostR ““I may not have guessed it would be that high for seniors,” Emily Ekins, Vice President and Director of Polling for the Cato Institute, told The Post.” Read at New York Post ↗
Right · 1The Post, citing the Cato report, said Gen Z is the least confident the system will exist for them and the most open to reforms such as benefit cuts and means-testing; half of Gen Zers did not know payroll taxes fund current retirees. New York PostR “Half of Gen Zers, however, didn’t even know that payroll taxes were used to fund current retirees, according to the survey.” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2The Post said Cato worked with YouGov to survey 2,000 Americans last year and that the poll was published in December; Newsweek described it as a new poll. New York PostR “For the poll, the institute teamed up with the data firm YouGov to survey 2,000 Americans last year.” Read at New York Post ↗ NewsweekN “After a new poll found that an overwhelming majority of baby boomers support increasing taxes to help preserve Social Security” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2The results drew criticism from conservative figures on social media this week. Radio host Dana Loesch wrote that it is not the responsibility of later generations to make up for what politicians took from boomers, and commentator Matt Walsh called raising taxes on young families to pay wealthier boomers "immoral and ridiculous" and "perverse". NewsweekN ““Just as it isn’t boomers’s fault that politicians stole their social security” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR “Political commentator Matt Walsh, meanwhile, called the idea to raise taxes on younger workers “perverse.”” Read at New York Post ↗
Mixed · 2Newsweek also quoted Chris Martz calling the position "commie mentality" and Meghan McCain calling it "Horrible. Just dastardly," while the Post quoted a user defending older people who had paid their dues. NewsweekN ““That’s commie mentality. It is not my job (or any young American’s job for that matter) to fund your retirement.” Read at Newsweek ↗ New York PostR ““We worked our whole lives and paid our dues. Now we are old, many of us sick, and suddenly we are a burden.” Read at New York Post ↗ Centre · 1Newsweek placed the dispute in the context of Social Security's finances: it said Congressional Budget Office and trustees' projections show the trust funds depleted in the early 2030s unless Congress acts, with a 2032 deadline cited, and that financial experts it quoted see both tax increases and benefit or retirement-age changes as options. NewsweekN “the program's trust funds are expected to become depleted in the early 2030s unless lawmakers act.”“Instead of raising taxes, some believe increasing the retirement age or adjusting benefits for wealthier retirees could be suitable alternatives.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Right · 1The Post added that 90% of Democrats, 82% of Republicans and 81% of independents hold positive views of Social Security while voicing deep concerns about its future. New York PostR “It also found 90% of Democrats, 82% of Republicans, and 81% of independents hold positive views of Social Security” Read at New York Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Newsweek frames the story as a conservative backlash against boomers and a widening generational divide over how to save Social Security, with expert commentary on policy trade-offs.
- Emphasis
- Social media reactions, trust-fund depletion in the early 2030s, financial experts on taxes versus benefit changes, and the political stakes of winning younger voters.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives few breakdowns for other generations and no details on the survey's date or sample.
- Charged language
- “Conservatives Rip Boomers”“commie mentality”
- For example
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“conservative pundits have been pushing back with sharp criticism of the demographic that has composed a significant portion of the Republican Party's voter base.” — Newsweek
“The danger is that Social Security reform becomes a generational fight instead of a financing problem” — Newsweek
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The New York Post leads with the poll's generational numbers, stressing that Gen X and millennials also back higher taxes and that only Gen Z does not.
- Emphasis
- Age-group breakdowns, Cato's Ekins on the generational divide, Gen Z's low confidence and knowledge, and viral social media reaction.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not discuss trust-fund depletion timelines or policy alternatives.
- Charged language
- “surprising generations”“fierce debate”“generational war”
- For example
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“Nearly 90% Baby Boomers would raise taxes on younger workers to protect their own retirement benefits” — New York Post
“Looks like there is a generational war a brewing,”” — New York Post
What every side reports
- A Cato Institute survey found 89% of Americans over 65 want Social Security benefits protected even with higher taxes on younger workers.
- Conservative commentators including Dana Loesch and Matt Walsh criticised the result on X.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the poll is new
- Centre
- Newsweek calls it a new poll.
- Right
- The Post says it was published in December from a survey conducted last year.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Conservatives Rip Boomers for Backing Tax Hike to Protect Social Security
Mixed Reports conservative backlash to the poll and adds expert views on the generational and fiscal trade-offs of Social Security reform.
Right1 article
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Mixed Poll-focused piece highlighting surprising cross-generational support for higher taxes and Gen Z's dissent, then social media reaction.
- 6 Oct 22:47 First NewsweekN Conservatives Rip Boomers for Backing Tax Hike to Protect Social Security
- 8 Oct 22:27 +47h 40m New York PostR Nearly 90% of Boomers — and 2 other surprising generations — would raise taxes on younger workers to protect retirement: poll
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.