A recent study from the National Institute on Retirement Security shows that most Americans believe that politicians are out of touch with the realities of what it's like to retire today.

According to the study, the 2011 Pensions and Retirement Security Study, nearly 9 out of 10 Americans (86 percent) believe the retirement system is under stress and needs to be reformed. Additionally, 80 percent of Americans believe that the recent economic downturn shows just how risky America's retirement system can be, and 73 percent believe that stock market volatility makes it impossible for the average American to predict how much they will have in their nest egg when they retire.

Yet, despite the obvious threats to their retirement security, 79 percent of respondents claim that leaders in Washington do not understand how hard it is to prepare for retirement in this economy, and 80 percent of Americans believe leaders in Washington need to give a higher priority to ensuring more Americans can have a secure retirement. Three-quarters of Americans believe that employers not offering a retirement plan should be required to automatically enroll employees into an Individual Retirement Account, with employees having the choice to opt out.