Impact of Social Security on the Future of the U.S. Latino Population
— reported by HispanicAd.com
An unprecedented and timely national research project that will examine the impact of Social Security on the U.S. Latino population was announced by Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil, lead researcher for the project and director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA). In addition to CPRA, the research collaborative includes the University of Southern California Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center and the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. The three lead centers will work in partnership with the National Hispanic Council on Aging and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
“This ‘Latinos and Social Security’ project aims to educate the Latino community as well as society at large about the value of Social Security for the economic stability of aging Latinos,†said Torres-Gil. “Social Security is an essential economic safety net for Latinos. Without it, over half of elderly Latinos would live in poverty but, with it, less than a fifth do. The stakes are high for Latinos and they have to understand that in order to insure their future economic security.â€
[snip]
Major findings show four reasons why Latinos benefit from Social Security:
Lower Lifetime Incomes. [snip]
Longer Life Expectancies: [snip]
Higher Disability Incidence: [snip]
Larger Families: [snip]
The Policy Brief also makes three key recommendations:
— Given its distinctive characteristics and demographic presence, the Latino community must be a significant factor in policy debates on the future of Social Security. That has not been the case thus far.
— Further research is needed on the potential impact of proposed changes to Social Security on the Latino community.
— There is an immediate need for greater public awareness about the impact of Social Security on Latinos. The Latino community in particular requires a factual knowledge base in order to understand and determine how Social Security impacts their aging and retirement, and in order to participate in ongoing policy debates.
