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 America's Seniors

Iowa Voters Like Gephardt as Dem Nominee

Social Security May Be Hot Button for National Elections

May 6, 2003 - Social Security reform may be the hot button in the upcoming national elections if a recent poll of Iowa voters is an indicator – 80 percent think the financial future of the program is at risk. The results were released this week by the National Center for Policy Analysis, a conservative group that has Social Security reform high on their own agenda. Iowans also expressed a preference of Rep. Dick Gephardt as the Democratic presidential candidate.

In a news release, the NCPA said the Iowa voters, ”when choosing between several options for saving Social Security,” preferred a “system that includes personal retirement accounts.”

"Solving the crisis facing Social Security is the single most important domestic policy issue facing our country," said Mike Whalen, Iowa businessman and NCPA board member. "All candidates for president should tell voters how they plan to save Social Security for generations to come."

According to the NCPA poll, when asked to choose among the three most common reform options, nearly three-fourths of respondents chose a preference. Allowing workers to invest a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into personal retirement accounts was by far the most popular option:

• 35.3 percent favor personal retirement accounts
      (57.5 percent of Republicans, 35 percent of independents, 13.9 percent of Democrats);
• 19.8 percent favor raising the retirement age
      (12.3 percent of Republicans, 17.5 percent of independents, 28.5 percent of Democrats);
• 18.8 percent favor increasing the payroll tax rate
      (8.2 percent of Republicans, 13.6 percent of independents, 32.5 percent of Democrats).

"More and more people are coming to recognize that Social Security is in trouble," said Matt Moore, a Social Security policy analyst with the NCPA. "Support for personal accounts is only going to grow as people come to realize the burden our children and grandchildren will face if we resort to cutting benefits and raising taxes."

In addition, in questions asked to help gauge the perspective of respondents, the NCPA poll found that President Bush's job approval rating remains high in Iowa -- currently at 66 percent. The poll also discovered that likely Democrat caucus voters currently prefer former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt over his competitors for the nomination.

-- 29.8 percent support Rep. Dick Gephardt
-- 11.9 percent support Sen. Joe Lieberman
-- 10.6 percent support Sen. John Kerry
-- 6 percent support Gov. Howard Dean
-- 5 percent support Sen. John Edwards
-- 2.6 percent support Rep. Dennis Kucinich
-- 2.6 percent support Sen. Carol Mosely-Braun
-- 0.7 percent support Rev. Al Sharpton
-- 30 percent are undecided

The poll was conducted April 21-23 and completed interviews of 400 likely Iowa voters. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 4.9 percent. It was conducted by Victory Enterprises, Iowa's most prolific political polling firm.

The NCPA says it  is an internationally known nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute with offices in Dallas and Washington, D. C. that advocates private solutions to public policy problems. We depend on the contributions of individuals, corporations and foundations that share our mission. The NCPA accepts no government grants.