A large percentage of American workers are not taking steps that are likely to leave them well-positioned for a comfortable retirement, according to the 17th annual Retirement Confidence Survey.

The survey, released today, is sponsored by the non-partisan Employee Benefit Research Institute and Mathew Greenwald & Associates, with underwriting support from Principal Financial Group Inc.

Almost half of workers saving for retirement report total savings and investments of less than $25,000. The majority of workers who have not put money aside for retirement have little in savings at all, with 70 percent saying their assets total less than $10,000.

Many workers are counting on employer-provided benefits in retirement that are increasingly unavailable. Forty-one percent of workers indicate that they or their spouse currently have a defined benefit pension plan, while 62 percent say they are expecting to receive income from such a plan in retirement. Both numbers suggest unrealistic beliefs.

Among workers who have personally experienced reductions in the retirement benefits offered by their employer, nearly two in five indicate that they have done nothing in response to these reductions.