Many Americans 60 and older believe that current economic conditions are worse than they've ever experienced, according to a new MetLife poll.

More than half of those surveyed in MetLife Mature Market Institute's nationwide "Feeling the Economic Pinch" sample felt that way -- and half said they think the current downturn will last more than a year.

Most people surveyed, 87 percent, said they feel pinched and are cutting back on spending. A huge segment (70 percent) said they're even cutting back on such essentials as food and auto transportation.

Rising gas prices was the killer for 51 percent of them. Look closer, though, and you'll find that those who work, 67 percent, were the ones who cited pump prices as the biggest negative. Of retired respondents, 26 percent named rising food prices as the biggest culprit.

The majority of respondents also are not panicking and withdrawing their retirement funds. That's good.

But 16 percent of respondents are withdrawing -- or plan to take out -- more from their retirement funds than they originally planned. That's bad.

People can live 30 or more years in retirement, institute director Sandra Timmermann said. They should reassess their finances and plan for the long haul.

Most people in the survey, 63 percent, blamed Washington for the current economic ills.

The good news in the poll is that the current economy has made many people, 40 percent, more conscious of their expenses -- 23 percent said they've taken a positive financial action during the year. They may have read more about finances or sought help from a financial adviser.

The volatile economy gave others, 19 percent, a greater appreciation of Social Security. They may better understand the importance of having a guaranteed income, Timmermann said.

. . .

The MetLife poll mirrors the experience of some living in the Richmond area.

Some who go to the Linwood Robinson Senior Center in Richmond complain that they are having a tough time making it in this economy, director Craig Williams said.

Their medications are particularly expensive and food prices have gone up tremendously. Add in the rent or mortgage and they're feeling the pinch.

Thelma Watson, executive director of Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging, said that among her agency's clients "some have been cutting back."

Even with significant help from the Medicare Part D program, some have so many prescriptions that they wind up footing the costs after they exceed program limits, she said.

"I think the current generation of seniors are very cautious," she said. "Some of them actually lived through the Great Depression."

One such senior, Jean Dyson, 77, of Richmond, lived through the Depression and recalls making 25 cents an hour as a nursemaid while in high school, then $25 a week as a maid while she attended college.

She ate potted meat sandwiches for dinner, took an apple to class. At home, "the heating was coal, so the stove didn't heat the whole room. There was no thought of air conditioning or central heat or any of the other pleasantries that I take for granted now."

Unlike the 53 percent of respondents in MetLife's poll, she does not believe that current economic conditions are the worst that she has experienced.

She is a prosperous retired world traveler. But she must cut back now.

"I was using my trip money from stock market profits, so I'm going to have to cut down on long trips -- but other than that, nothing," she said.

In the MetLife poll, 82 percent said they are spending less on non-essentials such as dining out, and, like Dyson, on vacations.

Contact Iris Taylor at (804) 649-6349 or itaylor@timesdispatch.com.