The study offered a stark reminder that as more Americans are made responsible for their own retirement, most are not saving nearly enough. Overall, 31 percent of people said they have zero money saved for retirement. That included 19 percent of people between the ages of 55 and 64, or those closest to retirement age.

What’s going on here? A lot of people said they rarely thought about retirement, at least not until it was too late. About 41 percent of people ages 18 to 29 said they never thought about retirement planning, a number that understandably declined to 20 percent for people above the age of 60.

But researchers said the dismal saving rates weren’t fully explained by lack of caring. They also cited a combination of low resources and poor awareness…