More Americans Now Leaning Heavily on Social Security Payments, AARP Survey Finds

Roughly two-thirds of retirees say they ‘rely substantially’ on Social Security payments, up from 58 percent in 2015.

A Social Security card sits alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury in Washington on Oct. 14, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

While Social Security is facing funding challenges in the coming years, more retirees said in a recent survey that they need the payments compared with 10 or 15 years ago, according to AARP.

The survey found that about 65 percent of retired Americans say “they rely substantially on Social Security,” compared with 21 percent who say “they rely on it somewhat.”