Entrepreneurship: It’s in Demand by Students

A key survey by the Gallup Poll indicates that many students, particularly minority youth, have a strong interest in entrepreneurship:

·       69% of high school students said that they wanted to start their own business

·       75% of black youth said that they wanted to start their own business

·       73% of the students said that independence was their primary motivation for wanting to start a business (and not monetary benefits).

·       68% of the students said that it was very important for successful entrepreneurs or business owners to give something, in addition to providing employment, back to the community

·       80% of black students said that it was very important for successful entrepreneurs or business owners to give something, in addition to providing employment, back to the community

Moreover, the survey indicated that youth are not getting the training they want:

·       9 out of 10 students rate their entrepreneurial knowledge as poor or fair at most

·       when asked to answer questions demonstrating basic entrepreneurial knowledge, high school students on average were only able to answer 44% of the questions correctly

·       85% of students said they had been taught “practically nothing about” or “very little about” business and how it works

·       only 27% of students reported that they had taken a class in business or entrepreneurship

·       84% of students said that it is “important” (36%) or “very important” (48%) that schools teach more about entrepreneurship and how to start a business

·       67% of black youth said that it is “very important” that the nation’s schools teach students about entrepreneurship and business