Agree Students Survey Means Hard Volunteers Armed Percentage

Each year, the University of California, Los Angeles (known as "UCLA") does a "poll" or survey of college students about many different topics, trying to understand their opinions and habits. In 2009, UCLA interviewed more than 240,000 freshman students from 340 colleges and universities. A "freshman" is someone in his or her first year of college, usually age 18 or 19. Below are the percentages of students who said they "agree strongly" or "somewhat" with the following "statements" (sentences), according to a story about the survey in the New York Times. To agree strongly means to agree very much, to agree completely; to agree somewhat means that you agree, but are perhaps not 100% in agreement.

79%: Through hard work, anyone can succeed in American society.

67%: Only volunteers should "serve" (be soldiers) in the "military" (army, navy, armed forces).

60%: The "wealthy" (rich) should pay a larger "share" (percentage; amount) of taxes than they do now.

20%: "Racial discrimination" (negative treatment of people of different races and ethnicities) is no longer a major problem in America.

Most of these results are not too surprising. Young Americans still believe in the "American Dream" - that anyone can be successful if they work hard enough. They don't want to be forced into the army but prefer volunteers to be part of the armed services instead. They believe in taxing the wealthy and a large "majority" (percentage; group) does not think that the U.S. is "over" (past) its racial problems.