SmartAsset Revisits 2023 Poll Opposing Social Security Age Hike

A SmartAsset article published September 22 reported that 78% of Americans oppose raising Social Security’s full retirement age from 67 to 70. But that figure comes from a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in March 2023, not a new 2026 survey.

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,795 U.S. adults from March 9 to 13, 2023. In the poll, 17% supported raising the age and 5% were undecided. Asked whether they would support the change if it helped benefits last longer, 62% opposed it and 30% supported it.

The poll found opposition across party lines: 77% of Republicans, 81% of Democrats and 75% of independents opposed moving the age to 70. Its results offer a snapshot from 2023, but do not show how public opinion may have changed since then.

The age matters because it marks when retirees qualify for their full calculated benefit. People can claim as early as 62, but those born in 1960 or later generally receive a reduced monthly benefit if they start before 67. Raising the full retirement age would mean waiting longer for an unreduced amount.

Social Security’s finances remain a live policy issue. The 2026 trustees’ report projects combined retirement and disability trust fund reserves will be depleted in 2034. At that point, ongoing income would cover about 83% of scheduled benefits unless Congress changes the law.

The 2034 estimate does not mean Social Security payments would stop. It means reserves would be exhausted, leaving payroll taxes and other continuing income to fund a smaller share of scheduled benefits under current law.

For policymakers considering ways to close the funding gap, the old poll still signals how unpopular an age increase was among respondents. But it cannot serve as evidence of what Americans think about the proposal today. The next useful measure would be a fresh survey using the same question.