risky, unstable and reckless?: Young people do see entrepreneurs as rockstars, but not in a good way
New research commissioned by Google has unveiled the surprisingly negative perceptions young people hold around entrepreneurship.
Just 22 per cent of those aged between 15 and 18 are interested in starting their own business, according to survey which was carried out by YouGov on behalf of the tech giant.
More than half of those surveyed admitted that they do not want to take any risks when it comes to making money while 56 per cent think entrepreneurship is inherently risky, with unstable and reckless following closely behind on a list of characteristics associated with new business creation.
The report also highlighted the prevalence of a gender gap when it comes to expectations around business success amongst teenagers. Boys are more confident that they could run a business without making mistakes and more likely to think about starting an enterprise straight out of school.
This difference of attitude mirrors the variation in entrepreneurial activity between young men and women. Almost three-quarters of firms founded by under-35s have a male founder.
The new study was commissioned to coincide with the launch of Future Founders, Google’s new youth entrepreneurship programme, which aims to increase the popularity of new venture creation amongst sixth-form students.
Hannah Wilkinson is a reporter for Business Advice. She studied economics and management at Oxford University and prior to joining Business Advice wrote for Kensington and Chelsea Today about business and economics as well as running a tutoring company.
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New research commissioned by Google has unveiled the surprisingly negative perceptions young people hold around entrepreneurship.
Just 22 per cent of those aged between 15 and 18 are interested in starting their own business, according to survey which was carried out by YouGov on behalf of the tech giant.
More than half of those surveyed admitted that they do not want to take any risks when it comes to making money while 56 per cent think entrepreneurship is inherently risky, with unstable and reckless following closely behind on a list of characteristics associated with new business creation.
The report also highlighted the prevalence of a gender gap when it comes to expectations around business success amongst teenagers. Boys are more confident that they could run a business without making mistakes and more likely to think about starting an enterprise straight out of school.
This difference of attitude mirrors the variation in entrepreneurial activity between young men and women. Almost three-quarters of firms founded by under-35s have a male founder.
The new study was commissioned to coincide with the launch of Future Founders, Google’s new youth entrepreneurship programme, which aims to increase the popularity of new venture creation amongst sixth-form students.
