No survey question has repeatedly asked Americans over time if they support Social Security. Somewhat less direct survey questions confirm a pattern of sustained and very strong support for Social Security. The program's supporters favor the status quo or increased spending. Table 9 indicates two very important points. When Americans have been asked to set spending priorities in the federal budget, they have expressed overwhelming support for maintaining or expanding the program.
Support remains enormous and opposition to cutting back massive.
Table 11 presents a series of surveys that used quite different question wordings to present Americans with the dilemma of whether the federal budget deficit should be reduced by cutting spending on Social Security. Table 12 tells a similar story but based on the views of fiscal conservatives. A nearly identical pattern of steadfast support for Social Security appears in surveys on benefit reductions as a means to trim the federal budget. Although not presented, other surveys find similar opposition to cuts in Social Security to reduce taxes. The public, however, has been more open to taxing the Social Security benefits of the wealthy as a means for reducing the federal budget deficit.