Do you think it’s better to plan your life a good way ahead, or would you say life is too much a matter of luck to plan ahead very far?
Better to plan ahead or life is a matter of luck · Asked in 5 waves, 1968–1976 · 9,039 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Codes that include 'no Pre/Post IW' were dropped for respondents without that interview. Kept and flagged: 0 (no_answer), 9 (dk). Codebook notes: GENERAL NOTE: See introductory text VCF0626.
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| Group | Too much luck to plan | Plan ahead | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 37% | 63% | 1909 | ±2 | |
| Democrats |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANES 1976 Time Series Study Source variable: V763736. | 1976-09-07 to 1977-01-30 | face to face | 2,248 | 1,909 |
| ANES 1974 Time Series Study Source variable: V742396. | 1974-11-06 to 1975-01-31 | face to face | 1,575 | 1,575 |
| ANES 1972 Time Series Study Source variable: V720278. | 1972-09-01 to 1973-02-13 | face to face | 2,705 | 2,700 |
| ANES 1970 Time Series Study Source variable: V700159(type 0). | 1970-11-04 to 1971-01-13 | face to face | 1,507 | 1,507 |
| ANES 1968 Time Series Study Source variable: V680495. | 1968-09-06 to 1969-01-28 | face to face | 1,557 | 1,348 |
| 43% |
| 57% |
| 725 |
| ±4 |
| Independents (incl. leaners) | 36% | 64% | 699 | ±4 |
| Republicans | 29% | 71% | 461 | ±5 |
ANES 1976 Time Series Study · US citizens 18+ living in households in the contiguous 48 states. Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.