BlackRock: US Voters Support More Retirement Investment Options

Blackrock Inc., which offers clients access to private investments, released a new study indicating that retirement savers largely want access as well. Surveying 1,000 registered voters last month, BlackRock’s resulting study, “Redefining Retirement—It’s All of Our Work,” stated that nearly two-thirds of respondents said they support policies that would expand retirement plan investment options to include private market assets such as real estate, infrastructure projects and private companies.

Similarly, 64% of respondents said retirement plans should provide the same access to investment options, whether they are provided through for-profit or nonprofit companies. Currently, certain pension plans for government workers can invest in options unavailable to plans provided to for-profit or nonprofit companies.

According to data from the 2026 PLANASPONSOR Defined Contribution Plan Benchmarking Survey, only 2.9% of plans included alternative investments such as private equity, down from 3.9% the year prior. PLANSPONSOR, like PLANADVISER, is owned by ISS STOXX.

Advisers have also shown increasing interest in alternative investments for retirement planning in recent years. In Escalent’s “2025 Retirement Plan Advisors Trends” report, based on data collected in September 2025, it found that one-quarter of surveyed defined contribution plan advisers were likely to recommend the inclusion of alternative investments in defined contribution plans, following President Donald Trump’s August executive order encouraging such investments, and another 10% already did so.

In BlackRock’s survey, a majority of respondents across all political affiliations backed further investment options, including 65% of Republicans, 66% of independents and 62% of Democrats.

BlackRock’s study also found most respondents supported tax-advantaged investment accounts for U.S. children, also known as Trump Accounts or 530A accounts, into which the federal government will grant $1,000 to qualifying children born between 2025 and 2028 as part of a pilot program.

BlackRock is among companies that have announced expected match contributions to Trump Accounts created for children of employees once the pilot program begins in July.

When registered voters were asked about these child savings accounts, 71% of respondents expressed support—including 81% of Republicans, 72% of independents and 61% of Democrats.

The study also found that national voters continue to struggle in saving for both retirement and for emergencies.

Across all demographics and regions in the U.S., 30% of respondents said they had no retirement savings. Of respondents belonging to Generation Z, 45% reported not having retirement savings, and 38% of rural voters had nothing saved for retirement.

Of surveyed U.S. registered voters, 63% had less than $150,000 saved for retirement, not including the value of their home. The independent research firm Public Opinion Strategies conducted the survey on behalf of BlackRock from January 21 through January 26. The margin of error was 3.1%, according to BlackRock.