Retirement Confidence at 10-Year High, but Savings Don't Follow

Another answer jumped significantly; 46% of participants, more than in previous years (34% in 2015), want to use their DC plan savings "to live comfortably and enjoy life" — just not necessarily during retirement.

Oh, and just because that 47% is feeling more sanguine about retirement, that doesn't mean the rest of workers are. About a fifth say they'll either continue to work part time or hold off on retiring, while 17% say they either haven't thought about retirement or don't plan to retire at all.

This year is also the first time, says the survey, that Social Security viability worries amount to the most-cited issue among plan participants — a tad more prominent than the potential of outliving their savings, maintaining their lifestyle or being dependent on others. In fact, more than 90% of respondents are concerned about programs such as Medicare and Social Security, and two-thirds find them very important.

While 70% of retired respondents say their retirement is either in accord with or even better than their expectations, that percentage is awfully close to the percentage of those who say they get a pension.

Says the report, "That pensioned proportion of the retired population will likely decline at least a bit with each passing year, while the number of retirees (one-third) who report dissatisfaction with life or finances in retirement is equally likely to increase with each year, as the rate of seniors filing for bankruptcy has tripled since 1991."