Monday, August 11, 2014

Will financial anxiety among older voters swing election?

A new poll by the AARP shows a lot of financial anxiety among North Carolina voters who are retired or planning to be.

And that anxiety could have implications for the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis. Exit polls in 2010, the last off-year election, showed more than a quarter of N.C. voters were seniors.

How bad is the anxiety? According to the survey of voters 50 and over:

-- 68 percent worry that their income falls behind the cost of living.

-- 67 percent of non-retirees  -- and 55 percent of retirees -- are 'more worried and concerned' than hopeful about meeting their financial goals.

-- 60 percent worry about paying too much in taxes.

-- 79 percent of those over 50 worry about saving enough for retirement.

Pollsters, a b-partisan team from North Star Opinion Research and Hart Research, found voters split evenly between Hagan and Tillis.

But they also found only 39 percent like the job being done by President Barack Obama. that's still nearly five times the 8 percent approval of Congress.

The poll reflects something else. It's why voters can expect to hear each candidate claim the other is a bigger threat to Social Security or Medicare.

20 comments:

Larry said...

What most folks overlook is that most of these older folks have paid in all their lives.

Now we can debate are they getting more, but hey if we do we should also remember they had no choice with the investment, and we would have to see what else they could have made.

Now look at those who vote because they can get more only due to the fact they vote in folks who do not mind paying for votes.

Anonymous said...

I am a social conservative, but Republican policies have been no friend of those over 50! I will not vote for them if they do direct harm to me.

Garth Vader said...

Mr. Morrill must be more senile than most seniors, since he forgot that there is another candidate in this race, Libertarian Sean Haugh,

Anonymous said...

It is the local Dems who seem intent upon doing direct harm to me. Normally i would vote for Hagan, but i cannot separate her from the likes of the democratically controlled city council or county commissioners. Therefore, I will be voting MY pocketbook. I will be voting for Thom.

Thomas said...

I am 54 & Obamacare raised my insurance premiums from $174 a month to $450 a month. This could delay my retirement by 2 years. It adds up to almost a $40,000 increase in premiums between now & Medicare. Not to mention the deductible went up that could add another $6,000. I know who I'm voting for.

Anonymous said...

Seniors have taken much of the brunt of the tax increases from the NC legislature under the GOP while Tillis presided over the house. Many will not realize how much extra they will be paying until next year when they file their 2014 taxes. I figure that taking all state taxes into account that I'm paying an extra $600 or $700 net. The increases on retirement income and the loss of the medical expense deduction will hit the hardest, but the new taxes on tickets and such and the increases on electricity and natural gas will add up.

I suspect that a lot of seniors who aren't paying attention will go ahead and vote for Tillis anyway.

Larry said...

That is what is nice about the internet, you can be anything you want as we all are beautiful, rich and well educated.

So good for you 8:42PM

Anonymous said...

8:42,

Such as?

Anonymous said...

8:42,

Such as?

Anonymous said...

The Republicans were against Social Security in the 1930's, and they haven't changed.

Archiguy said...

Unless you're a one-percenter or a fat-cat plutocrat, Republican policies are no friend to ANYone, at any age.

Historians 100 years from now will marvel at how the Republicans of this era were able to persuade so many people to vote against their economic interests again and again. They've raised propaganda to a fine art.

Anonymous said...

Not to mention the increasing anger over all the able bodied soaking up welfare, the give-aways to the illegals, increasing taxes at the local level..........

Anonymous said...

Archiguy, getting handouts from vote buying democrats is in nobody's best interest. They discourage work and take away dignity. Furthermore, the victim mentality that democrats espouse is not a mentality that successful people have.

Archiguy said...

Anon 10:50 - That's a load of bunk. It's one of the most disgusting, insidious pieces of garbage that the GOP spreads out on a gullible public like a load of manure.

Living on public assistance is no picnic. It's a crummy way to live, and anybody who has ever had to do it will tell you that. If the minimum wage was a living wage, I guarantee you the number of people on public assistance would immediately be cut in half, or more.

Democrats DO NOT espouse a "victim's mentality". That's rubbish. But they do understand that millions of people work their butts off for a lousy wage, often with no benefits, that's far too low to support a family at a minimum level without resorting to food stamps or other assistance. Too many entitled conservatives just don't get that. Apparently, you're one of them.

Anonymous said...

8/12/2014 01:23:00 PM

100-1 welfare bum or some kind of govt bum whiner

Unknown said...

I predict a Republican wave election. People are getting fed up with taxes and spendthrift government with priorities out of whack such as spending for professional sports arenas. Now they want us to votes ourselves a tax increase? Not going to happen.

Anonymous said...

Older?

What about financial anxiety among younger voters who cant find a job when they get out of school faced with 40-50,000 debt?

Same for all those in-between. The economy is still horrible and may never improve with this massive national debt that has to be repaid not to mention a couple trillion extra for Obamacare.

But as long as pro athletes rape 30-40 million annually off consumers with major media contracts all is well.

Meanwhile the Fed extortionists keeps shaking down big business banks and especially BOA after 50 billion ransom already paid and 50 billion more to go and customers foot that bill too.

What has the female US "moderate" Senator done about all that? She voted for OC and 97% of Obamas radical policies and 20 trillion debt.

US Senator Kay "moderate" Hagen?

People wish they could have the last 6 years back she has been a moderate Senator under Barack moderate Obama.
If she and Obama are moderate what in the hell does she call radical?



David P. McKnight said...

It just gets worse and worse for seniors especially when they have to start paying out more of their income for social "costs" after their maximum income-producing working years have ended.

Surely, having to "guard" one's Social Security dividends from new "outside costs" is not what FDR would have wanted for retired Americans participating in the Nation's Social Security program.

Anonymous said...

I have read all the negative comments on Republicans posted here I am 60 what has the Democrats done for you?!?! As far as Republicans against Social Security you are all wrong..they wanted to privatize social security from the beginning and NOOOOOO everyone had to have the nanny teat..now lets say 30 yrs SS in a private account at 6% interest government never touching a penny of it..Ya'll are so full of it and thats my Opinion!!!!!! oh and to the one who is a social repub...being a Fiscal Republican is better!!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Bush jr. Tried to push that too. Didn't get sold and if you need proof of privitization/deregulation
controling the middle class then remember recession of 2008