Half of women ages 50 and up don't know which candidates they'll vote for in the election, according to a new poll.
According to a national survey of 800 female voters ages 50 and up, Social Security is one of the main issues they agree on.
The majority of women voters want benefit cuts stopped. A majority of respondents say a move like that would benefit them.
The survey was done by phone and online.
Biden vows to protect Social Security amid program's uncertain future.
Celinda Lake, founder and president of Lake Research Partners, said that she rarely sees a personal connection between politics and issues.
Almost all of the women over the age of 65 said that protecting Social Security would benefit them.
Lake said that numbers like that are not seen.
Women 50 and up make up a powerful group of voters.
30% of votes cast in 2020 will be accounted for by just 25% of the voting age population, which is why they tend to have a high election turnout.
Political leaders are trying to get an upper hand in the November elections by focusing on Social Security.
Republicans have been quick to reject criticism that they are out to kill the program after President Joe Biden slammed Republican plans for the program at a White House event. Ron Johnson and Rick Scott have both called for Social Security and Medicare to be reexamined annually.
Democrats want to preserve the program's current benefits and even increase them.
Lake thinks Democrats haven't been loud enough with their messages.
In the last five weeks of the campaign, I hope you will see a lot of Democrats turn to this issue.
According to Lake, women in their 50's and 60's are completely freaked out that Social Security may not be enough when they retire.
She said it was a big difference. It's a big issue.
According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, Social Security is the top source of income for women workers in retirement. 9 in 10 married and divorced women and 8 in 10 single, never- married women expect to collect Social Security when they retire, according to research.
According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, both women and men have seen their wealth decline. Social Security benefits may be reduced for people who were born in 1960 or later. Many people have less retirement assets because of the Great Recession.
The research from earlier this year found that women 50 and up were laser focused on kitchen table economics.
Half of the voters think the economy is not working for them.
More than 70% of women ages 50 and up now say they are cutting non-essential purchases, 42% say they have cut back on essentials and 40% are saving less as the cost of living goes up.
The survey found that the actions that would help them the most were lowering the cost of food, gas or health care, and expanding Medicare to cover dental and vision.
This cohort is more focused on politics as the election nears.
Inflation, crime, immigration and election security are some of the top issues for Republican women in their 50s and up.
Voting rights and threats to democracy are top issues for female Democrats.
Independent women voters ages 50 and up cite division in the country, threats to democracy, inflation and rising prices as their top reasons for voting.
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