Elderly people are more willing to pay their own way rather than rely on their children or the social security system, but their financial worries are mounting, according to a Cabinet Office survey released Friday.

Some 37.6 percent of the 2,007 survey respondents said they are willing to regularly dip into their savings to support themselves, up 12.3 percentage points from the previous poll, conducted in 1996.

Some 45.9 percent of respondents said they think it inevitable that they will have to share more of the financial burden to sustain the social security system amid the nation's declining birthrate, with 32.7 percent saying they expect social security benefits to decline.

Uncertainty is also increasing among the elderly, with 13.9 percent saying they do not know if their pensions will be sufficient to cover their expenses. This marks an increase of 8.7 percentage points from the previous survey.

Seniors who said they will not ask their children to pay for nursing care accounted for 22.5 percent, up 6.4 points.

Half of these said they will either use their pensions or savings to cover the costs.

Those who said they will sell their homes to pay for care rose 5.3 points to 12.5 percent.

"The greater willingness to pay for their own care is growing among the younger generation of the elderly who have earned more and live under better pension terms than their predecessors," said Michiko Mukuno, a Cabinet Office official.

The desire for independence is greater among elderly who live in metropolitan areas, with those who said they will not seek support from their children accounting for 28.5 percent.

Mukuno attributed this scenario to lower rates of cohabitation among seniors and their children and higher income levels.

Researchers interviewed 3,000 people aged 60 or above nationwide between January and February and obtained valid responses from 2,077.