August 17, 2026 - WASHINGTON — Friday marked the 91st anniversary of the Social Security Act. This year, AARP is releasing new survey data on Americans’ attitudes about how important Social Security is for both current retirees and generations to come. This week has also marked the launch of AARP’s Social Security Day campaign, a new initiative to encourage tens of millions of AARP members to better understand what they've earned. 

Image by Tung Lam from Pixabay

AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan is commemorating the anniversary with the following statement:

Social Security is a commitment to today’s retirees and future generations that Congress must not break. It is the foundation of retirement security, lifting tens of millions of older Americans out of poverty each month and contributing more than $1.5 trillion to the U.S. economy every year.

On the 91st anniversary of the Social Security Act, Americans across generations are sending a clear message: protect, strengthen, and preserve Social Security. No cuts. No privatization.

Congress must act by 2032 to strengthen Social Security, and the lawmakers elected this November will be in office as that deadline approaches. AARP and older Americans everywhere will look forward to working with those who support responsible solutions that protect the benefits Americans have earned.

Americans have paid into Social Security throughout their working lives, trusting that it would be there when they need it. AARP will continue fighting to uphold that promise for today’s retirees, tomorrow’s retirees, and every generation counting on Social Security.

AARP's 91st anniversary Social Security survey, released today, found broad support for Social Security and a strong commitment across generations to protecting and strengthening Social Security for the future. AARP’s survey also revealed that knowledge of how Social Security helps financially increases with age, but the vast majority of all adults agree that Social Security is very important for retirement security. 93% of Americans believe that it’s important to help both current and future retirees afford basic living expenses when they retire, and 91% believe it’s important to help people remain financially independent as they age.

Some of the other results from our survey today include:

• 89% of seniors have a favorable view of Social Security as a whole.
• 95% of Americans of all ages think that Social Security is important for people in the United States
• 91% of those in our survey agreed that Congress should take action to make sure young people receive the Social Security they are owed when they retire.

You can see AARP's full 91st anniversary survey results here.

Earlier this week, AARP published striking results that showed almost 40% of older Americans do not have an online account with the Social Security Administration. These results helped inspire a nationwide effort to educate people about their Social Security payments via an online Social Security Administration portal.  Through e-mails, text messages, and a coordinated effort across all 53 state offices, AARP has worked to raise awareness about these important accounts and connect older Americans to trusted information and resources.  

For more information, go to www.aarp.org/MySSDay.

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