Young people should be the concerned about the future of Social Security because they might bear the financial burdens of increasing numbers of older Americans, some experts say.

President Bush has made revamping Social Security one of the top priorities for his second term.

Social Security currently comes from taxes and goes to retired workers, disabled citizens and survivors of deceased workers.

Bush has proposed allowing workers to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into private accounts so they can invest that money for retirement funds. Social Security would still be available in a more limited form.

According to the Social Security Administration, in 30 years there will be almost 74 million American senior citizens compared to 36 million now. And on average, 2.2 workers will support those Americans, compared to the 3.3 workers that support each older citizen now.

Changing the system to include private accounts is about making honest promises to citizens and improving the economy, said Derrick Max, executive director of the Alliance for Worker Retirement Security. The Washington, D.C.,-based group is a coalition dedicated to reforming Social Security to allow workers to create personal wealth.

"If we don't do this, we're either going to have to raise taxes or cut benefits," he said. "A personal account is saying you start taking care of yourself."

Max said investing increased amounts of personal savings will improve the economy and the government would be able to fulfill its promises to people.

"If you tell young people they're going to get less from Social Security, they will start saving more," he said. "Whether or not you like personal accounts, the current system is going broke."

Scott Frey, senior policy adviser for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said personal accounts will pull funds away from the safety net Social Security provides. His organization believes minor adjustments in benefits and revenues could solve the program's problems.

"A private account, while it sounds good in today's economy, once it's gone, it's gone," he said. "Not only are you exposing more of your future retirement income to the risks of what the market does, but you're also receiving a sharp reduction in the benefits."

Private accounts would hurt people who have to leave the workforce because they don't earn a salary, Frey said. Diverting money from the system forces cuts to be made for those depending on it, he said.

Also, the start-up costs for the new system would have to be combined with old promises to retired people, Frey said.

"If workers take out a portion of their payroll today, it doesn't absolve the government from paying the benefits of people who began in the system," he said. "You're actually digging a bigger hole."

University Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics Allan Schmid said ideas about Social Security failing and fewer workers supporting retirees are scare tactics. The amount Congress sets aside for Social Security is determined by voters, and those who vote consistently are senior citizens, he said.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," he said, explaining the United States spends about 4.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product on Social Security. In the future, that figure might have to increase to 7 percent to support more older people, he said.

"That still leaves 93 percent of the GDP," he said. "Is our economy big enough to spend a minimal amount on older people? I'd say 'yes.'"

He said private accounts are merely subsidizing citizens to save their money, which they already should be doing on their own.

"This is mainly for the benefits of the equity markets," he said.

Although Social Security comes out of young people's taxes and they have a stake in the program's future, it doesn't rank high on young voters priorities, said Carrie Donovan, youth director at The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement at the University of Maryland.

A survey of college voters after the election showed 26 percent ranked moral issues most important to their vote; 22 percent said the war in Iraq; and 18 percent said the economy, Donovan said.

"Health care was only 3 percent and Social Security would fall as a health-care type issue." Donovan said. "Most young voters haven't had to deal with health care on their own yet because they're covered by a parent or guardian.

"It seems like Social Security and things like that need to have personal connection for it to be an emotional issue."