Increase the payroll tax rate until the system is financially sound. For Gen Xers, the more fundamental the systematic change, the greater their approval. This is consistent with other public opinion studies of this generation that have found decreasing faith in Washington's ability to keep today's financial commitments to tomorrow's seniors. In addition, as we found two years ago while researching opinions on Social Security, younger Americans have more faith in their own financial prowess and ability to save for their future than in Washington's. And introducing an MSA program is supported by 70 percent of those who would opt out, compared to 59 percent of the youth population as a whole.
Younger women are the greatest proponents of change.
The media may have focused on the angry white male in the 1994 national elections. But when it comes to Generation Xers and their attitudes toward Medicare, women ages 18 to 24 are leading the charge. They are also more supportive than their male counterparts of virtually every reform option tested. Clearly, Generation Xers favor reforms to Medicare that put them in the driver's seat of their own health care decisions, rather than merely repairing the status quo. In fact, the Medicare issue transcends ideology and partisanship.