What do Europeans think is most important for getting ahead in life?

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What is most important for getting ahead in life? Opinions differ widely on this subject. Not just within countries, but also between countries. In the 2022 Special Eurobarometer 529 on fairness, inequality and intergenerational mobility, people were asked on 4 different things how important they think those are for getting ahead in life. These are:

• Coming from a wealthy family
• Having a good education
• Working hard
• Being born a man or a woman

In most EU countries, working hard is considered the most important for getting ahead in life. Having a good education is also considered the most important for getting ahead in life in several EU countries.

In no EU country was being born a man or woman considered to be the most important thing for getting ahead in life. In every country it ranked as the least important for getting ahead in life of these 4 things. Only in Sweden it ranked as the 3rd most important, just ahead of coming from a wealthy family.