For those who did the math, 53 percent say they realized that having savings equivalent to six months' worth of salary would be important if the axe does fall. And that's consistent with Bureau of Labor stats that suggest the average period of unemployment is approximately 10 months, if not a little short-sighted.

Unfortunately, those workers in the near-lowest income categories also acknowledge that things could change in an instant. Nearly a third of respondents making $20,000 to $40,000 say they still feel they could lose their job in the next three months.

What do workers say has the biggest influence on their job, and its security? About a quarter say it's their own performance and job skills and another quarter say the performance of their own companies sets the standard, but 26 percent say that the economy and/or government policies are still keeping their jobs in the balance.

"With the political debates about the economy heating up and conflicting opinions all over the news, many might be wondering what they can do to feel more secure," said Joe Buhrmann, manager of financial security support with Country Financial.

In the meantime, it seems like the old advice is still the best advice: Having an honest and open converstation about savings, your personal or family emergency preparedness and the realistic notion of a job loss can help make things more survivable if the worst happens.

Sadly, that doesn't create an atmosphere which particularly supports the notion of saving considerable amounts of income for the bigger issue – your own, in-all-likelihood-underfunded retirement – but at least a realistic investigation of setting up some emergency savings can get participants interested in saving more, or thinking about participating in a DC plan in the first place.