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General Social Survey, 2000

Data Archive > U.S. Surveys > General Population > National > General Social Surveys > Analysis

GETAHEAD

Some people say that people get ahead by their own hard work; others say that lucky breaks or help from other people are more important. Which do you think is most important?

	1) Hard work most important
	2) Hard work, luck equally important
	3) Luck most important
	8) Don't know
	9) No answer

Category	Frequency	Percentage	Cumulative Percentage	Z-Score
Hard work most important	1194	64.2%	64.2%	-.53
Hard work, luck equally important	451	24.2%	88.4%	.45
Luck most important	193	10.4%	98.8%	1.42
Don't know	13	.7%	99.5%	6.3
No answer	10	.5%	100%	7.28

Variable Comparisons

Age (I-AGE)

	18-30	31-44	45-64	65+	TOTAL
Hard work most important	66.9% 263	65.8% 377	61.6% 344	62.2% 207	64.1% 1191
Hard work, luck equally important	22.4% 88	25.3% 145	24.4% 136	24.3% 81	24.2% 450
Luck most important	9.7% 38	7.7% 44	13.1% 73	11.4% 38	10.4% 193
Don't know	0.8% 3	0.9% 5	0.4% 2	0.9% 3	0.7% 13
No answer	0.3% 1	0.3% 2	0.5% 3	1.2% 4	0.5% 10
TOTAL	100.0% 393	100.0% 573	100.0% 558	100.0% 333	1857

Sex (I-SEX)

	Male	Female	TOTAL
Hard work most important	63.7% 522	64.6% 672	64.2% 1194
Hard work, luck equally important	23.9% 196	24.5% 255	24.2% 451
Luck most important	11.5% 94	9.5% 99	10.4% 193
Don't know	0.6% 5	0.8% 8	0.7% 13
No answer	0.4% 3	0.7% 7	0.5% 10
TOTAL	100.0% 820	100.0% 1041	1861

Marital status (I-MARITAL)

	Married	Widowed	Divorced	Separated	Never married	TOTAL
Hard work most important	65.0% 544	63.4% 116	61.9% 192	71.0% 49	63.3% 292	64.1% 1193
Hard work, luck equally important	25.1% 210	21.3% 39	25.2% 78	18.8% 13	24.1% 111	24.2% 451
Luck most important	8.7% 73	12.6% 23	11.9% 37	10.1% 7	11.5% 53	10.4% 193
Don't know	0.5% 4	1.1% 2	1.0% 3	0.0% 0	0.9% 4	0.7% 13
No answer	0.7% 6	1.6% 3	0.0% 0	0.0% 0	0.2% 1	0.5% 10
TOTAL	100.0% 837	100.0% 183	100.0% 310	100.0% 69	100.0% 461	1860

Race (I-RACE)

	White	Black	Other	TOTAL
Hard work most important	64.4% 956	64.9% 179	58.4% 59	64.2% 1194
Hard work, luck equally important	24.2% 359	21.4% 59	32.7% 33	24.2% 451
Luck most important	10.1% 150	13.0% 36	6.9% 7	10.4% 193
Don't know	0.7% 10	0.4% 1	2.0% 2	0.7% 13
No answer	0.6% 9	0.4% 1	0.0% 0	0.5% 10
TOTAL	100.0% 1484	100.0% 276	100.0% 101	1861

Household income (I-INCOME)

	Less than $10K	$10K - 19,999	$20K - 24,999	$25K+	TOTAL
Hard work most important	59.2% 119	67.4% 184	63.9% 85	66.1% 683	65.3% 1071
Hard work, luck equally important	24.9% 50	19.8% 54	23.3% 31	24.0% 248	23.4% 383
Luck most important	13.4% 27	12.1% 33	12.0% 16	8.9% 92	10.2% 168
Don't know	1.0% 2	0.4% 1	0.8% 1	0.5% 5	0.5% 9
No answer	1.5% 3	0.4% 1	0.0% 0	0.5% 5	0.5% 9
TOTAL	100.0% 201	100.0% 273	100.0% 133	100.0% 1033	1640

Political ideology (I-POLITICS)

	Liberal	Moderate, middle of the road	Conservative	TOTAL
Hard work most important	58.6% 272	64.2% 455	68.5% 398	64.1% 1125
Hard work, luck equally important	27.4% 127	25.7% 182	21.2% 123	24.6% 432
Luck most important	13.1% 61	9.4% 67	9.6% 56	10.5% 184
Don't know	0.2% 1	0.4% 3	0.3% 2	0.3% 6
No answer	0.6% 3	0.3% 2	0.3% 2	0.4% 7
TOTAL	100.0% 464	100.0% 709	100.0% 581	1754

Religion (I-RELIGION)

	Protestant	Catholic	Jewish	None	Other	TOTAL
Hard work most important	69.0% 694	61.5% 279	59.6% 28	56.0% 144	50.0% 48	64.1% 1193
Hard work, luck equally important	20.9% 210	25.8% 117	34.0% 16	29.2% 75	34.4% 33	24.2% 451
Luck most important	9.3% 94	11.5% 52	6.4% 3	12.1% 31	13.5% 13	10.4% 193
Don't know	0.3% 3	0.7% 3	0.0% 0	2.3% 6	1.0% 1	0.7% 13
No answer	0.5% 5	0.7% 3	0.0% 0	0.4% 1	1.0% 1	0.5% 10
TOTAL	100.0% 1006	100.0% 454	100.0% 47	100.0% 257	100.0% 96	1860

Education (I-EDUC)

	Less than high school	High school	Associate/Junior college	Bachelor's	Graduate	TOTAL
Hard work most important	67.2% 197	64.6% 641	67.4% 87	58.8% 170	64.1% 93	64.3% 1188
Hard work, luck equally important	20.1% 59	22.6% 224	23.3% 30	32.2% 93	28.3% 41	24.2% 447
Luck most important	11.6% 34	11.6% 115	7.0% 9	8.0% 23	6.2% 9	10.3% 190
Don't know	0.3% 1	0.6% 6	1.6% 2	0.7% 2	1.4% 2	0.7% 13
No answer	0.7% 2	0.6% 6	0.8% 1	0.3% 1	0.0% 0	0.5% 10
TOTAL	100.0% 293	100.0% 992	100.0% 129	100.0% 289	100.0% 145	1848