Every spring, researchers at the Employee Benefit Research Institute survey more than 2,000 Americans about retirement.
Now in its 35th year, the Retirement Confidence Survey is the longest-running study of its kind in the country, while some of its findings confirm what most people assume. Others reveal just how far expectations can drift from reality.1
Here are four findings from the 2026 report that we believe you should take a look at.
Two-thirds of American workers (67 percent) feel confident about having enough money for a comfortable retirement.
Among people who are already retired, that number climbs to 78 percent, up from 74 percent a year ago. Some believe having enough money is often more manageable than it seems.
Workers Plan to Retire at 65. Retirees Actually Retired at 62.
Almost half of today’s retirees (46 percent) left the workforce earlier than they expected. Even the best laid plans often encounter unexpected turns. There are a variety of reasons, including that workers simply found they could afford to retire (44 percent). “Leaving the workforce earlier than expected” has been one of the most consistent themes in EBRI’s, Employee Benefit Research Institute, 35 years.
3 in 4 Workers Plan to Work in Retirement. But Fewer Than 1 in 3 Actually Do.
Workers have visions of continuing to work, but retirees tell a different story. Interestingly, that gap has appeared in every version of the survey since 1999 without exception. Working may sound like an option, but today’s retirees show that it’s less appealing than people may realize. When preparing for retirement, a strategy that includes work as a “financial bridge” may face challenges.
A Retirement Account Is the Strongest Single Predictor of Confidence.
Workers who have at least one dedicated retirement account, whether that be a workplace plan or a pension, are more than twice as likely to feel confident about retirement when compared with those who have none (76 percent versus 33 percent). Workers who don’t earmark money for retirement tend to struggle.
Every year, when we review this survey, we look for patterns that carry real meaning for the people we work with.
Nearly two-thirds of workers (65 percent) feel stressed about their retirement preparations.
Yet, actual retirees are more confident, which tends to suggest that pre-retirement anxiety may not be a reliable predictor of how retirement unfolds.
What matters most isn’t worry, but action. Workers with a dedicated retirement account are twice as likely to feel confident. So are workers who have estimated their income needs, reviewed Social Security options, and set a timeline tend in order to be better prepared.
“As far as I can determine, there are only two types of income: one that comes from people working and another that comes from money working. If you don’t set aside a sufficient amount in investments to produce your needed income when you can no longer work, you won’t have the second source to produce any or sufficient income. Therefore, it does behoove us to be actively involved in the retirement planning process.”
- EBRI.org, 2026
