Americans' views on retirement are shifting. Many employees are increasingly worried about retirement and they see a return to pension as a way to restore the American Dream of retirement, according to the National Institute on Retirement Security's (NIRS') new survey, What Do Americans Think About Pensions for Public Employees?

NIRS finds strong support among Americans for retirement benefits provided to state and local government employees: 86% of Americans say all workers, not just those employed by state and local governments, should have a pension. This support holds strong across political party lines, with Democrats in agreement at 89%, Independents at 86%, and Republicans at 83%.

Americans also view pensions as an effective workforce tool for recruiting and retaining public service employees: 82% of Americans agree that pensions are a good way to recruit and retain qualified teachers, and 84% say that pensions are a good way to attract and keep qualified public safety employees.