A Pew Research survey in May of 2011 found that those 65 and older had a negative reaction to Ryan’s plan to change Medicare: 51% opposed the plan (including 43% who opposed it strongly) compared with only 25% who favored the plan. People under the age of 50 offered far more support than those over 50 for Ryan’s Medicare plan.

A June 2011 survey found that most seniors said they were happy with how Medicare and Social Security operated. About six-in-ten (61%) said Medicare does an excellent or good job serving the people it covers; 57% said the same about Social Security. By contrast, most of those under 65 said these programs do an only fair or poor job.

In addition, just 33% of those 65 and older said they think Medicare needs major changes or needs to be completely rebuilt. Similarly, few seniors (30%) supported major changes or a complete rebuilding of Social Security. Support for changing Social Security and Medicare was far higher among those under 65.

Voters 65 and older are much more likely than younger voters to name Social Security as a top potential voting issue. A June 2012 survey found about as many senior voters saying Social Security is the issue that matters most to their vote (45%) as saying jobs (48%).

Seniors – along with the public overall – prioritize the protection of Medicare and Social Security benefits over deficit reduction by wide margins. In June 2011, two-thirds (66%) of those 65 and older said it is more important to keep Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are compared with just (20%) who prioritized deficit reduction.

A wide majority of seniors (66%) said people on Medicare already pay enough of the cost of their health care, compared with 24% who said people on Medicare need to be responsible for more costs to keep the program financially secure. Most seniors (54%) also said low income people should not have their Medicaid benefits taken away, compared with 34% who said states should be able to cut back on who is eligible for Medicaid to deal with budget problems.

Divides in GOP Base over Entitlement Changes

In addition to presenting challenges among seniors, the issue of entitlements divides the GOP base.

Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 63% of those with family incomes of $75,000 or more say it is more important to take steps to reduce the budget deficit; a nearly identical percentage (62%) of Republicans with incomes of $30,000 or less say it is more important to maintain Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are.

The income gap among Republicans and Republican leaners is about as large as the difference between GOP supporters of the Tea Party and non-supporters. Among Republicans and Republican leaners who agree with the Tea Party, 57% view deficit reduction as more important than preserving Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are. Among Republicans and leaners who do not agree with the Tea Party, just 36% say that reducing the deficit is more important than maintaining benefits.

For more on entitlements see: “Public Wants Changes in Entitlements, Not Changes in Benefits,” released July 7, 2011 and section six of “The Generation Gap and the 2012 Election,” released November 3, 2011.

President Clinton faces a potentially wide generation gap on his proposal to “fix Social Security first.” Older Americans embrace the idea, but younger people are far more interested in spending any budget surplus on programs that benefit their families today.

Fully 82% of those age 50 and older say making Social Security financially sound should be the No. 1 priority for Clinton and Congress this year. Younger Americans place education first, according to two new nationwide surveys taken by the Pew Research Center in association with Americans Discuss Social Security.

When asked how they would use any budget surplus, fully two-thirds of the public is prepared to spend the money on domestic programs rather than use it for tax cuts or debt reduction. But the spenders divide into two camps: one-third of Americans say the money should be spent to fix Social Security and Medicare (32%) and one-third say the money should be spent on other domestic programs like health care, education and the environment (33%).

Again, the generational differences are stark. A plurality of those age 50 and older would fix Social Security (46%) compared to just a quarter of those under 50 (25%). Those under 50 would spend the money on today’s domestic programs (42%) compared to 16% of older Americans who would do so.

Reflecting these different priorities, Americans also split along generational lines on the role they expect Social Security to play in their own lives. Among working Americans 55 or older, half say Social Security will provide for most of their living expenses when they retire. But barely one-in-ten (12%) workers under 55 feel the same way. Most younger Americans instead are banking on personal savings or a company pension.

At the same time, public support for both Social Security and Medicare remains high across all age groups. Fully 64% said the Social Security program is “very important” to them personally and 57% described the Medicare program as “very important”. While Social Security and Medicare are most important to older people and retirees, nearly eight-in-ten Americans in every age group say both Social Security and Medicare are “very” or “somewhat” important to them personally.

Not Banking on Social Security

Few working Americans expect Social Security will be their main source of income when they retire. Two-thirds of those 35 and older say they have already begun saving money to live on when they retire.

Younger Americans are particularly doubtful that they will benefit from Social Security. Among those under the age of 35, just 9% believe Social Security will be a main source of retirement income, and more than half (61%) say the program will help them get by “only a little” or “not at all” when they retire.

These attitudes are balanced by the concerns of other segments of the population that are counting on Social Security. Substantially more lower-income Americans of all ages expect to rely on Social Security. One-in-four of those who earn under $30,000 expect that Social Security will cover most of their living expenses, for example, compared to just 7% of those earning over $40,000.

Half of those nearing retirement age — 55 and older — also say they expect most of their income will come from the Social Security program and many express concern about their financial situation in the future. Nearly half (49%) of those between the ages of 55 and 64 expect their standard of living will go down when they retire. Similarly, 41% of the 55 to 64 age-group believe they will only have enough money to meet basic living expenses when they retire, compared to just 30% of those under 55. Among Americans who have already retired, 30% say their standard of living has gone down, while 55% say it has stayed the same.

Policy Makers Out of Touch

Americans of all generations, however, think political leaders are out of touch with their views of Social Security. Nearly three-in-four Americans (71%) say the nation’s policy makers don’t understand how people feel about Social Security. Almost as many (57%) believe political leaders only care “a little” or “not at all” how people feel about the program. Similarly, majorities say policy makers don’t understand or care how people feel about Medicare.

Politicians do not bear the full brunt of public frustration on the Social Security issue, however — the media also gets its share of criticism. Two-thirds of Americans (65%) give news organizations a rating of “fair” or “poor” for their reporting about Social Security. In addition, majorities say there has been too little coverage of the issue (51%) and describe this coverage as “mostly confusing” (52%).

News Interest Highs and Low

The public’s attention to news about Social Security tends to parallel the intensity of the debate in Washington over the program. News interest peaked in January and February of 1997, when Social Security and Medicare proposals were a main focus of discussion in Congress. With as many as 29% following the Social Security debate “very closely” in early 1997, it ranked as the most closely followed domestic policy story of the year. More recently, news interest in Social Security has fallen off. In November, for example, just 9% said were following the Social Security debate “in Washington and around the country” very closely.

Americans are divided in terms of how well they understand the details of the Social Security system. About half (52%) say their knowledge of what the Social Security program does is only “fair” or “poor”, while 46% say their understanding is “excellent” or “good”. Notably, beneficiaries of Social Security — those who are currently retired — pay substantially more attention to news about Social Security and have a much better understanding of the program.