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By Suzanne Blake
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Nearly half of Americans who have not yet retired doubt they will ever be able to fully stop working, according to a new study.
A survey of more than 2,000 Americans from financial services firm Thrivent found that 47 percent of non-retirees are skeptical they will ever be able to completely retire.
Financial experts say this reflects Americans’ growing anxiety about the future as they continue dealing with higher living costs, economic uncertainty and the looming threat of how artificial intelligence (AI) could reshape jobs over the coming decades.
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Why It Matters
Retirement security has become a major issue for many Americans as inflation and housing costs continue to strain household budgets.
Traditional retirement models envisioned workers leaving the labor force entirely in their mid-60s, but many now expect to continue working at least in some capacity well into retirement.
The new data suggests Americans increasingly see retirement as an evolving concept rather than a hard stop, and today’s economic pressures likely play a major role.
“On the one hand, workers in an office setting may feel that they could continue their career well into old age, and advances in medicine are allowing us to do so at a greater rate,” Drew Powers, founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek. “At the same time, the middle class is disappearing, and along with it, the thought of ever retiring comfortably is also disappearing.”
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What To Know
Roughly 58 percent of non-retirees say they are confident they will have enough money to retire from their primary career on schedule, according to Thrivent's 2026 Retirement Expectations Survey.
While this number remained unchanged from 2025, there’s also significant skepticism about what retirement will actually look like.
Nearly half of respondents, 47 percent, said they do not believe they will ever be able to fully retire.
"The future has always brought uncertainty, but many Americans today are navigating a wider range of questions about work, the economy and retirement than they did just a few years ago," Thrivent financial adviser Jason Rogoff said in a statement.
Additionally, many Americans are focused on making ends meet today rather than preparing for the future. Nearly two-thirds, 64 percent, said they are more focused on their current financial situation than on retirement planning.
“You can't save for retirement when current expenses are crowding out every spare dollar,” Michael Ryan, finance expert and founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek.
“Half of workers stopped or reduced retirement savings in the past 6 months. Half dipped into retirement savings early just to cover now. Those aren't people who've given up. Those are people whose paychecks were already allocated before they got them.”
Thrivent said rising costs and economic uncertainty are some of the key factors weighing on retirement expectations. But AI's escalation also has made an impact on how Americans view their careers and long-term financial security.
“People aren't giving up on retirement. They're losing the ability to pay for it. The Thrivent study sounds like the end of the retirement dream, right? Except 58 percent of those same people still expect to retire on schedule,” Ryan said.
“What changed isn't the goal. It's the definition. They're planning part-time work, consulting, delayed exit. That's more ‘reduce and delay’ than pure abandonment.”
AI Has Become a New Retirement Worry
Thrivent’s survey revealed growing concern surrounding AI and its effect on jobs.
Among non-retirees, 63 percent of Gen Z workers and 59 percent of millennials believe AI-related job reductions could negatively affect their retirement prospects. By comparison, 49 percent of Gen X and baby boomer respondents said the same.
“If AI continues to reshape the labor market by replacing workers who pay into Social Security and Medicare through payroll taxes, we will eventually have to rethink how those programs are funded,” Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek.
“Whether that means some form of broader automation or ‘machine tax,’ changes to the tax code, or an entirely different funding model, those conversations are likely no longer optional.”
Even Americans who are already retired have concerns. Roughly 30 percent said AI-driven changes to the workforce had negatively affected their retirement, up from 20 percent a year earlier.
What Happens Next
As Congress continues debating the future of Social Security and retirement programs, financial planners say retirement preparedness will be a key concern for millions of Americans.
While many workers still believe they can retire on time, an increasing number are preparing for a future in which they continue working, either out of financial necessity or just because retirement has developed a different meaning.
“Higher living costs, longer life expectancies, uncertainty surrounding Social Security, and the disappearance of traditional pensions have all made many workers assume they'll need some form of employment or supplemental income in their retirement years,” Alex Beene, financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
“The result is that the U.S. economy is gradually adapting to a new model of aging, where part-time work and flexible careers are becoming more common.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins.
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