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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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The majority of Americans expect retirement age in the United States to increase, an exclusive Newsweek poll has revealed.
The poll, conducted by Talker Research between December 23 and 30, 2024, saw 1,000 employed U.S. adults asked the question: "Do you expect the official retirement age will be higher by the time you are ready to retire?"
A resounding 69 percent answered "yes," with just 16 percent responding "no" and a further 15 percent stating they were "not sure."
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Generation X respondents (those who are 43 to 58 years old) were especially downbeat, with 74 percent predicting it will be higher. Millennials (those who are 27 to 42 years old) were similarly pessimistic with 72 percent answering "yes," while 71 percent of Generation Z respondents (those who are 18 to 26 years old) gave the same answer.
In fact, there appeared to be a generational divide. By contrast to those numbers, just 44 percent of baby boomers (those who are 59 to 77 years old) and 56 percent of the Silent Generation (those who are 78 to 98 years old) said they expected the official retirement age in the U.S. to be higher by the time they retire.
Justina Raskauskiene, human resource lead at Omnisend, a marketing platform for ecommerce businesses, told Newsweek a variety of factors likely led to this negative outlook.
"For one, the longevity nowadays is unprecedented, which means many older professionals are still valuable to businesses later in life," she said. "At the same time, living costs are rising while pensions shrink—also like never before—making extended careers a necessity for many."
Raskauskiene also isn't entirely surprised to see a clear contrast in outlooks between adults over and under the age of 60.
"Younger generations, especially Gen Z, have grown up in economic instability that has shaped their completely different views on work," she said. "Non-linear career paths allowed by gig economies, entrepreneurship, and hybrid or remote work opportunities challenge tradition. As a result, the concept of a strict 'retirement age' might have become less relevant altogether."
Despite this, Raskauskiene does not see the idea of raising the age of retirement as an inevitability.
"In my opinion, the future of retirement is not about extending careers—it's more about what social and economic security are going to look like," she said. "For now, the important questions are: how can we better support younger professionals in saving for retirement? Are options like gradual transition to retirement viable? How can we maintain social safety nets for those unable to continue working due to declining health—without straining the economy even more?"
This random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Newsweek between December 23 and 30. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
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