São Paulo – Saudi Arabia tops the list of countries where the most people intend to open a business of their own by 2020. The Entrepreneurialism Global Advisor poll made public this Tuesday (4) by independent market research outfit Ipsos, present in 89 countries, shows that 63% of Saudi Arabians are would-be entrepreneurs. The survey covered 24 countries, including Brazil, with 18,000 respondents from September 20 to 28.
According to the poll, 25% of people worldwide intend to open their own business in the next two years. Top-ranking countries include Mexico at 62%, India and South Africa at 50% each, China at 48% and Brazil at 43%.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are countries like Japan, where only 6% of people would like to become business owners. Ipsos public opinion manager Rupak Patitunda was quoted in a press release as saying that this contrast points to factors which encourage or hinder entrepreneurialism, such as less job opportunities or chances of success in business in developing markets, on the one hand. And competition from established businesses, which is tougher and more technical in developed markets, as possibly important factors driving the desire to become an entrepreneur.
The number of people who have opened their own business was also tracked during the survey. According to Ipsos, so-called entrepreneurial experience relates to education and income levels, considering the countries surveyed. Thirty-three percent of male respondents said they had already opened a business, while only 23% of women said the same.
Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they had already opened their own business. The highest country-specific rates in this case were those of Saudi Arabia (58%), Mexico (49%) and Argentina (48%). In Brazil, three out of ten respondents (30%) have had an own business.
The survey revealed that 48% of Brazilian respondents believe the government has responsibility in encouraging entrepreneurs, which matches the global average. However, when questioned whether the government does a good job of supporting entrepreneurship in the country, only 17% of Brazilians answered positively – which is close to the global average of 22%.
Ipsos also created the Entrepreneurial Spirit index, based on 18 respondent traits. They include being “creative,” “disciplined,” “flexible” and “ambitious.” Globally, three out of ten respondents had very high scores, a similar index to Brazil’s – which was 26%. According to Pttitunda, there is a connection between traits seen as personal and the desire to open an own business. However, the social setting, economic conditions and the public structure for encouraging entrepreneurship bear great weight in building this self-image.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
