During the past two weeks our hypothetical chief executives had to make a domestic-policy decision concerning entitlements. (Click here to view the full Executive Decision memo for this scenario, written by Jack Beatty.) The options presented to the President by his or her aides were the following:

• Option A. The "Soft" Option: The entitlement system is basically fine the way it is and needs only a few minor changes.

• Option B. The "Hard" Option: Entitlements are eating up the national budget. The system needs substantial change.

The Results

A. The Soft Option: 22%

B. The Hard Option: 78%

The Boomer Burden. Respondents chose substantial reform by an overwhelming margin--78% supported major changes while 22% saw little need for panic. Of those who supported the hard option, many said that they did not want their children to be burdened by debt, that everyone will need to make sacrifices, and that a country dependent on entitlements was not what our forefathers had in mind. Some also expressed doubt, though, that any candidate would be willing to take on this issue during the current campaign. Many people thought that there should have been a third option: privatization of the Social Security system so that people could choose where to invest their retirement money. Those who supported making only minor changes to the entitlement system cited concern that people would not be able to work effectively in their late sixties and early seventies. Some also felt that there is plenty of time before entitlements become a crisis and that the President should examine other ways of making cuts so that the entitlement system is spared.

Party Lines. Of those respondents who indicated a political affiliation, 36% were Republicans, 31% Democrats, and 26% Independents; of those remaining, 5% selected Other and 3% were unregistered. Republicans in general were much more supportive of Option B while Democrats tended to choose the less-radical Option A. 42% of those who chose Option B were Republicans, 26% Independents, 24% Democrats, and 8% were either Other or unregistered. Democrats represented 53% of supporters of Option A while Republicans represented 12%. The proportions of those not affiliated with a political party were roughly the same for both Option A and B.

The Significance of the Issue. Respondents clearly felt that entitlements are a significant issue; only 6% of respondents chose the "completely irrelevant" and the "not very important" options. 27% of respondents thought entitlements were "fairly important" as an election issue, 56% believed them to be "very important," and 12% said "it's THE most significant issue."

In contrast, of those who voted in our immigration poll (results were posted two weeks ago) 50% thought the immigration issue was "fairly important," 32% selected "very important," and 2% selected "it's THE most significant issue."

Age. Of respondents who indicated their age only 1% were under 18, 41% were between 18 and 34, 22% were between 35 and 44, 20% were between 45 and 54, and 16% were over 55. As might be expected, age had an effect both on which option was picked and on the significance ascribed to the issue. 84% of 18-34 year-olds, 85% of 35-44 year-olds, 77% of 45-54 year olds, and 64% of those over 55 chose Option B (as compared with the overall average for Option B: 78%). Those respondents who were nearer the retirement age showed that they were more leery of large-scale entitlement reform than other respondents. 63% of 18-34 year-olds, 76% of 35-44 year-olds, 63% of 45-54 year-olds, and 72% of those over 55 felt that this was a "very important" or "THE most significant issue," showing that the younger Baby Boomers and those near or above retirement age are most concerned about the entitlement issue.

Race and Gender. The breakdown of choices by race showed little difference among races. Women, who made up 19% of total respondents, were less likely to vote for an overhaul of the entitlement system than were men. 81% of men selected Option B compared with 67% of women.

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