According to the Harris Interactive poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, 46 percent expect to fund their retirement through Social Security and pensions, and an equal number expect that their retirement funds will last them 10 to 20 years. Nearly one in four Americans, or 23 percent, has not yet begun to save for retirement.

The poll also found that although 47 percent indicate they have started saving, they also admit they have a long way to go. Forty-three percent of individuals under the age of 35 are less likely to have begun saving.

"A distressing gap exists between the public's expectations for retirement and the reality," said Carl George, CPA, chair of the AICPA's National CPA Financial Literacy Commission and CEO of Clifton Gunderson LLP. "Moreover, too many Americans think they can rely on the Social Security and pension safety net to carry them through."

Americans are also underestimating how much they will need to fund their retirement years. More than a third of survey respondents, 39 percent, believe as little as $500,000 will be sufficient to see them through their retirement. But George noted that when spread out over the course of 30 years, that amount becomes $16,000 a year and would have to take into account uninsured medical costs and other expenses, such as the possibility of assisted living.

The AICPA's 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy program has set up a consumer Web site, www.360financialliteracy.org, with free tools and resources to help educate consumers about personal finance matters, including retirement.