The research highlights an intensifying affordability squeeze that is forcing families to prioritize immediate necessities over long-term savings. Nearly seven in ten respondents report that preparing for retirement has become significantly more difficult compared to four years ago. Primary obstacles include rising healthcare costs, stagnant wage growth, and mounting debt, with 79 percent of those surveyed concluding that the average worker cannot achieve a secure retirement on their own.

Public trust in modern financial solutions remains fragile. While 63 percent of Americans have experimented with AI tools, 45 percent remain uncomfortable with the technology providing financial advice. Similarly, workplace retirement plans involving cryptocurrency face strong resistance, with 77 percent of participants labeling such assets as risky. Instead, workers show a clear preference for traditional stability, with 57 percent stating they would favor a job offering a pension over a 401(k)-style plan.

Dan Doonan, executive director of the institute, notes that policy interventions must address the immediate cost-of-living crisis to be effective. With 85 percent of Americans urging Washington to elevate retirement security as a national priority, the findings suggest that current savings-based models are failing to keep pace with the economic realities of the modern workforce.