I don't think this has been true, since the 70's and the advent of IRA's and 401K's. The Gov't was telling you, we'll supplement your retirement, with SS, but you better have something else for the bulk of what you'll need. IRA, Pension, 401K, then The Roth IRA, The Coming or already in place MyIra. The Gov't has been begging people to save for their future, that the Gov't benefit isn't the primary source, just a fallback. If people aren't listening, and stilt depend on SS for the entirety of their retirement, that's not the Gov't fault.
If the gov't did a good job of sending signals to people that they need to save, then we wouldn't have runaway deficits related to entitlements for older people at the federal level.