The Retirement System in Transition: The 2007 Retirement Confidence Survey

28 Pages Posted: 18 Apr 2007

See all articles by Ruth Helman

Ruth Helman

Greenwald & Associates

Jack VanDerhei

Morningstar Center for Retirement and Policy Studies

Craig Copeland

Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

Abstract

This paper presents key findings from the 17th annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), a survey that gauges the views and attitudes of working-age and retired Americans regarding retirement, their preparations for retirement, their confidence with regard to various aspects of retirement, and related issues. The survey contains a core set of questions that is asked annually, allowing key attitudes and self-reported behavior patterns to be tracked over time. It also strives to be timely by covering issues that are of current interest to policymakers, including, this year, questions about retirement plan changes, the use of investment advice and the Internet, and retiree health care. Findings from the 2007 RCS suggest that American workers may be slow to recognize how the U.S. retirement system is changing, and those who are aware of these changes may not be adapting to them in ways that are likely to secure them a comfortable retirement. The survey was conducted in January 2007 through 21-minute telephone interviews with 1,252 individuals (1,001 workers and 251 retirees) age 25 and older in the United States. The RCS was co-sponsored by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization; and Mathew Greenwald & Associates, Inc., a Washington, DC-based market research firm.

Keywords: Retirement attitudes and opinions, Retirement planning

JEL Classification: J26

Suggested Citation

Helman, Ruth and VanDerhei, Jack and Copeland, Craig, The Retirement System in Transition: The 2007 Retirement Confidence Survey. EBRI Issue Brief, No. 304, April 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=981012

Ruth Helman (Contact Author)

Greenwald & Associates ( email )

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United States
202-686-0300 ext.138 (Phone)
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Jack VanDerhei

Morningstar Center for Retirement and Policy Studies ( email )

22 W Washington Street
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Craig Copeland

Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) ( email )

1100 13th Street, NW
Suite 878
Washington, DC 20005-4204
United States
202-775-6356 (Phone)
202-775-6312 (Fax)

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