Gallup
Flash Eurobarometer No 189a – EU communication and the citizens
Flash Eurobarometer
European
Commission
Attitudes towards the
planned EU pilot project –
“Erasmus for Young
Entrepreneurs”
Summary Report
Flash Eurobarometer 212 – The Gallup Organization
(including the views of start-up organisations,
trainers and counsellors, and young
entrepreneurs)
Fieldwork: October 2007
Report: November 2007
This survey was requested by the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry and
coordinated by the Directorate-General for Communication
Analytical Report, page 1
This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission.
The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors.
Flash Eurobarometer Series
#212
Attitudes towards the
planned EU
pilot project “Erasmus for Young
Entrepreneurs”
Survey conducted by The Gallup Organization
upon the request of Directorate-General
Enterprise and Industry
Coordinated by Directorate-General
Communication
This document does not reflect the views of the
European Commission.
The interpretations and opinions contained in it
are solely those of the authors.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION
The Gallup Organization
Flash EB No 212
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 4
1. General attitudes ............................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Attractiveness of a mobility programme for young entrepreneurs................................................ 5
1.2 Impact of the envisaged exchange programme ............................................................................. 5
2. Desired scope of a mobility programme for young entrepreneurs ............................................... 7
2.1 Preferred objectives of the envisaged programme ........................................................................ 7
2.2 Educational objectives................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 What limits should be set for the target group?........................................................................... 10
2.4 Ideal time spent gaining experience in another Member State? .................................................. 12
2.5 Costs associated with the stay in another Member State............................................................. 12
3. Characteristics of the ideal host company..................................................................................... 14
3.1 Experience of the host entrepreneur ............................................................................................ 14
3.2 Business sector of the host enterprise.......................................................................................... 14
3.3 A preference for micro and small enterprises as hosts ................................................................ 15
4. Potential hosts .................................................................................................................................. 16
A note on the methodology of the Flash EB 212 "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs" ................ 17
Phase 1: start-up counselling and support organisations ................................................................... 17
Phase 2: trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations............................................................... 17
Phase 3: young would-be and young existing entrepreneurs ............................................................ 17
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Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
Introduction
The European Commission (Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry) plans to initiate a pilot
project "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs" to establish a mobility scheme for young existing and
would-be entrepreneurs. The beneficiaries would be entrepreneurs of SMEs and micro-enterprises who
are in the process of setting up a business or who have recently started up a business.
The pilot project will seek to ensure that experience is pooled among such young entrepreneurs at the
European level by means of traineeships and training courses in key or complementary sectors. The
relevant representative bodies (chambers of commerce and industry, and craft associations) will be
invited to support and promote this pilot project.
The goal of the Flash Eurobarometer 212 "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs" was to gather
information about the needs, attitudes and ideas of the potential beneficiaries of the planned pilot
project and of the relevant representative bodies who will be invited to support this initiative with the
aim of taking these opinions into account before any official launch. This Flash Eurobarometer
consisted of three separate surveys, with the targets being:
•
•
•
Phase 1: start-up counselling and support organisations
Phase 2: trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations
Phase 3: young would-be and young existing entrepreneurs
At the beginning of the interview, the respondents were introduced to the idea of the European
Commission launching an “EU programme that would support young would-be entrepreneurs who
want to spend a period of time in another country in order to learn from and exchange experiences
with entrepreneurs and look for potential partners.” After this introduction, the respondents were asked
about the various aspects of such an "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme"1. These
questions covered the:
•
•
•
•
•
•
General attitudes towards the idea of a mobility programme for young entrepreneurs
Expected impact of the envisaged programme
Desired elements and ideal scope of the envisaged programme
Preferred characteristics of the host enterprise
Start-up organisations as potential hosts for young entrepreneurs (Phase 1)
Young entrepreneurs as potential hosts for other young entrepreneurs (Phase 3)
The Flash Eurobarometer 212 "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs" was conducted between the 28th
September and the 30th October, 2007. During Phases 1 and 2, 488 representatives of start-up
counselling organisations and 449 trainers or counsellors of those organisations, who are in regular
contact with young (would-be) entrepreneurs, were interviewed in most EU Member States. During
Phase 3, more than 6,000 randomly-selected young would-be entrepreneurs (n=3425) and young
existing entrepreneurs (n=2742) between the ages of 18 and 40 were interviewed in all of the EU
Member States. The surveys were carried out by telephone with WebCATI (web-based computer
assisted telephone interviewing).
1
For reasons of simplification the survey used the term “programme” and not “pilot project”. The name
“Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs” is provisional and does not anticipate any future action in this field.
Summary, page 4
Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
1. General attitudes
1.1 Attractiveness of a mobility programme for young entrepreneurs
When confronted with an idea of an EU-wide mobility programme for young entrepreneurs, the
majority of respondents responded positively. The judgement of the usefulness, however, varied
according to the type of respondent surveyed (young would-be entrepreneurs, young existing
entrepreneurs, representatives of start-up organisations, trainers or counsellors).
Young existing entrepreneurs were the least likely to judge the programme to be useful; only three out
of 10 young existing entrepreneurs (31%) said that participation in the Erasmus for Young
Entrepreneurs programme would be very useful for them. Trainers and counsellors of start-up
organisations, on the other hand, were the most likely to feel that participating in such a programme
could be useful for their students or clients, with 60% having said that participation in the planned
mobility programme would be very useful (see Chart 1).
Chart 1: Usefulness of participating in the programme
Young existing
entrepreneurs
Very useful
Young would-be
entrepreneurs
42
Start-up
organitions
45
Trainers and
counsellors
13 1
15
40
31
8
39
13
37
60
29
9 1
32
7 30
Rather useful
Rather un-useful
Not useful at all
DK/NA
There is the idea to launch an EU programme that would support young would-be entrepreneurs who want to spend a period of time
in another country in order to learn from and exchange experiences with entrepreneurs and look for potential partners. In your
opinion, how useful would it be for you/your clients/your clients or students to participate in such a programme, provided that
expenses are at least partially covered? %, Base: all respondents
1.2 Impact of the envisaged exchange programme
When young would-be and existing entrepreneurs were asked about the potential impact of the
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme (with a list of possible benefits presented in the
questionnaire), more than nine out of 10 respondents in both groups agreed that gaining business
experience in another Member State would contribute to knowledge and inter-cultural
understanding. Furthermore, nearly half (48%) of young would-be entrepreneurs and 45% of young
entrepreneurs strongly agreed with this statement (see Chart 2).
Eighty-four percent of young would-be entrepreneurs agreed that gaining business experience in
another Member State would make it easier for them to start up their business, and the same
proportion agreed that it would increase the chances of a business’ success. The corresponding
percentages for young entrepreneurs were 78% and 81%. Focussing on the percentages of respondents
who strongly agreed with these two statements, it can be seen that young would-be entrepreneurs were
more likely than young entrepreneurs to agree with each of these statements (40% vs. 32% for the
statement about starting up a business, and 36% vs. 31% for the statement on business success).
The results for the negatively-formulated statement that taking part in the programme would have no
impact on a business start-up showed that less than one out of 10 respondents strongly supported that
view. In total, only 27% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 30% of young entrepreneurs agreed
with that sentiment.
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Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
Chart 2: Impact of the programme: Staying in a company abroad...
Young would-be entrepreneurs
...contributes to knowledge
and inter-cultural
understanding
48
...makes it easier for a y oung
(would-be) entrepreneur to
start up his/her business
40
...makes the chances of
success of a business higher
...has no impact on the startup of a new undertaking
46
36
8
19
421
45
48
50
2
44
12 23
32
46
15 2 5
48
12 13
31
50
14 1 5
42
Strongly agree
Young entrepreneurs
25
Agree
5
9
Disagree
21
40
23
Strongly disagree
6
DK/NA
Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with the following statements about the impact of such a programme? Staying in a company abroad...
%, Base: young would-be entrepreneurs N=3425, young entrepreneurs N=2742
Representatives, trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations were generally more likely than
young would-be and existing entrepreneurs to agree that gaining business experience in another
Member State would contribute to knowledge and inter-cultural understanding, make it easier to start
up a business and increase the chances of a business’ success (see Chart 3).
Almost all representatives, trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations agreed that gaining
business experience in another Member State would contribute to knowledge and inter-cultural
understanding. Furthermore, slightly more than six out of 10 representatives (61%), trainers and
counsellors (62%) said they strongly agreed with the statement.
A large majority of respondents also agreed that taking part in the programme would increase the
chances of a business’ success (88% of representatives; 91% of trainers and counsellors), and a
slightly lower proportion agreed that it would make it easier for a young entrepreneur to start up a
business (83% of representatives; 90% of trainers and counsellors). Focussing on the percentages of
respondents who strongly agreed with these two statements, it can be seen that 45% of representatives
and 47% of trainers and counsellors strongly agreed with the statement on business success, and,
respectively, 42% and 45% strongly agreed with the statement about starting up a business.
Slightly more than one in 10 representatives (13%) and 3% of trainers and counsellors strongly agreed
that taking part in the programme would have no impact on the start-up of a new undertaking. In
total, 30% of representatives and 13% of trainers and counsellors agreed with this statement.
Chart 3: Impact of the programme: Staying in a company abroad...
Start-up organisations
...contributes to knowledge
and inter-cultural
understanding
61
...makes the chances of
success of a business higher
45
...makes it easier for a y oung
(would-be) entrepreneur to
start up his/her business
42
...has no impact on the startup of a new undertaking
13
17
Strongly agree
Trainers and counsellors
36
43
41
40
25
Agree
0
21
62
8 22
47
11 34
45
5
Disagree
38
36
44
5 13
45
48
Strongly disagree
0
2
91
38
3
DK/NA
Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with the following statements about the impact of such a programme? Staying in a company abroad...
%, Base: start-up organisations N=488, trainers/counsellors N=449
Summary, page 6
The Gallup Organization
Flash EB No 212
2. Desired scope of a mobility programme for young
entrepreneurs
2.1 Preferred objectives of the envisaged programme
When young would-be and existing entrepreneurs, and representatives, trainers and counsellors of
start-up organisations were asked about the main objectives of the planned Erasmus for Young
Entrepreneurs programme, almost all respondents agreed that all of its main objectives (as defined in
the survey) were important, and a significant proportion of respondents gave their strong agreement..
The percentages of respondents who strongly agreed were generally slightly higher for representatives,
trainers and counsellors than for young would-be and existing entrepreneurs.
We also found that respondents in all groups were more likely to agree with statements that defined
objectives directly relating to their own business or their clients’ businesses, such as being able to:
•
•
•
•
receive training on how to run a business successfully,
acquire the necessary skills to help them develop their own business,
learn from the experiences of an entrepreneur in the same sector, and
improve their language skills.
For example, we found that more than six out of 10 trainers and counsellors strongly agreed that
several objectives (learning from an established entrepreneur, acquiring business acumen and language
skills) should feature as main objectives of the programme. Fifty-nine percent of them strongly agreed
that learning to run a business should be one of the main objectives.
On the other hand, respondents in all groups were less likely to agree with statements relating to the
future cross-border business opportunities, such as:
•
•
searching for markets for products and/or services, and
looking for potential business partners and establishing a network,
and with statements about objectives that focus more on a general economic and cultural
perspective gained abroad, such as being able to:
•
•
•
learn about the economic and legal environments in another Member State,
learn how to successfully run a business in another country, and
develop a broader cultural perspective.
For example, 54% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 52% of young entrepreneurs strongly agreed
with the objective of acquiring skills that would help the development of new products and services
for their own business, while just 41% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 38% of young
entrepreneurs strongly agreed that one of the main objectives of the programme should be to learn
about the economic and legal environment in another Member State.
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Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
Chart 4: Main objectives of the programme
Young would-be entrepreneurs
61
To improv e language skills
To acquire skills that will help to dev elop new
products and serv ices for my own business
54
To receiv e training on how to run successfully
a business
52
To learn from the ex periences of an
entrepreneur running a business in the same,
or in a similar sector of the planned enterprise
33
41
59
2
0
43
43
48
Young entrepreneurs
48
52
31
47
21
49
To get a broader cultural perspectiv e
43
46
81
43
To learn how to successfully run a company in
another European country
42
48
72
41
To search markets for products/serv ices
42
51
51
42
To learn about the economic and legal
env ironment of another country
41
45
To look for potential business partners across
national borders for the planned business
project and establish a network
40
49
30
67
31
42
621
45
321
46
9 21
46
11 21
45
1
62
48
11 2
38
47
12 2
82
40
44
11 24
Start-up organisations
To acquire skills that will help to dev elop new
products and serv ices for my own business
51
33
Trainers and counsellors
1
67
31
2
0
0
1
66
32
2
0
0
66
To learn from the ex periences of an
entrepreneur running a business in the same,
or in a similar sector of the planned enterprise
61
To improv e language skills
60
31
80
To receiv e training on how to run successfully
a business
58
34
71
59
34
61
56
36
61
56
38
5
To search markets for products/serv ices
To look for potential business partners across
national borders for the planned business
project and establish a network
To get a broader cultural perspectiv e
To learn how to successfully run a company in
another European country
To learn about the economic and legal
env ironment of another country
Strongly agree
35
28
5
0
52
36
9 1
51
41
6
48
42
81
51
43
5
0
43
44
38
Agree
43
Disagree
11 1
17 2
45
39
Strongly disagree
45
47
91
140
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
DK/NA
Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with what should be the main objectives of such an EU Programme:
%, Base: all respondents
2.2 Educational objectives
Since the planned Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme has certain educational objectives,
young would-be and existing entrepreneurs were asked how useful it would be for them to be
enlightened about certain topics. Overall, we found that a large majority of young would-be and
existing entrepreneurs would like to learn more about the educational issues covered in the survey, as
they considered them all to be at least rather useful.
The largest percentage of young would-be and existing entrepreneurs considered it very useful for
them to learn another language (66% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 63% of young
Summary, page 8
Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
entrepreneurs). Only 5% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 8% of young entrepreneurs said that it
would not be particularly useful, or not useful at all to learn another language (see Chart 5).
Relatively speaking, learning about the growth and internationalisation of companies was
considered to be the least useful objective; even so, only 16% of young would-be entrepreneurs and
21% of young entrepreneurs said that it would be rather not useful or not useful at all for them to learn
about this topic.
For the other educational objectives, we found that 45% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 40% of
young entrepreneurs considered it would be very useful to learn about the host company’s specific
skills and know-how, and 42% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 38% of young entrepreneurs
said it would be very useful to learn about the host company’s local market and business
environment. Finally, learning more about the single market and EU law was considered to be very
useful by four out of 10 young would-be entrepreneurs and by 37% of young entrepreneurs.
Chart 5: Useful topics to be taught about in the framework of the programme
Young would-be entrepreneurs
66
Language
Specific skills and know-how
of the host company
45
The local market and business
env ironment in the host
country
42
The single market and EU law
40
Growth and
internationalisation of
companies
33
Very useful
29
45
46
45
49
Rather useful
Young entrepreneurs
62
28
63
41
6 23
40
9 2
38
46
12 32
9 42
37
45
11 43
12 43
29
Rather un-useful
6 13
50
47
Not useful at all
17
43
DK/NA
If you consider learning as one the main objectives for such an EU Programme, how useful the following topics would be for you to be taught about?
Very useful, rather useful, rather not useful, or not useful at all?
%, Base: young would-be entrepreneurs N=3425, young entrepreneurs N=2742
In turn, representatives, trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations were asked how useful it
would be for their clients or students to learn about certain topics. Overall, we found again that a large
majority of respondents would find it very useful or rather useful for their students or clients to learn
more about the topics covered in the survey. Only a few respondents found the topics to be rather not
useful or not useful at all.
The proportions of representatives, trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations who considered
each of the topics to be very useful differed to a certain extent from the proportions of young
entrepreneurs, and we found the biggest differences in the area of learning about the host company’s
specific skills and know-how. While 56% of representatives, trainers and counsellors said this topic
would be very useful for their clients or students, only 45% of young would-be entrepreneurs and 40%
of young entrepreneurs replied that it would be very useful to learn more about specific skills and
know-how of the host company.
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The Gallup Organization
Chart 6: Useful topics to be taught about in the framework of the programme
Start-up organisations
Trainers and counsellors
Language
57
35
61
Specific skills and know-how
of the host company
56
37
61
The local market and business
env ironment in the host
country
39
49
36
47
13 22
Growth and
internationalisation of
companies
34
48
14 22
Rather useful
32
56
9 21
The single market and EU law
Very useful
62
38
40
60
48
37
120
49
33
Rather un-useful
501
11 2
1
53
Not useful at all
12 1
DK/NA
If you consider learning as one the main objectives for such an EU Programme, how useful the following topics would be for your clients/students to be taught about?
Very useful, rather useful, rather not useful, or not useful at all?
%, Base: start-up organisations N=488, trainers/counsellors N=449
2.3 What limits should be set for the target group?
2.3.1 All entrepreneurs should be invited
A majority of both young would-be entrepreneurs (79%) and young entrepreneurs (78%) agreed that
the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme should not be limited to, respectively, young
entrepreneurs or young would-be entrepreneurs but should be open to other target groups. Slightly
less than one in five stated the opposite (see Chart 7).
In comparison with young entrepreneurs, representatives of start-up organisations and trainers and
counsellors were even more likely to agree that the envisaged exchange programme should not be
limited to young entrepreneurs but should be open to other target groups; only 14% of the
organisations’ representatives and 13% of trainers and counsellors said that the programme should be
limited to young entrepreneurs.
Chart 7: Target groups of the programme
Young would-be entrepreneurs
19
79
Young existing entrepreneurs
20
78
Start-up organisations
14
84
Trainers and counsellors
13
86
2
3
2
Limited to young
(would-be)
entrepreneurs
Open to other target
groups
DK/NA
1
Should such a Programme be limited to young (would-be) entrepreneurs or should it be also open to other target groups?
%, Base: all respondents
Given a choice, most respondents said that the programme should be opened-up to all types of
entrepreneurs. A smaller proportion said that the programme should be opened-up to university
students and apprentices. For example, while 83% of young existing entrepreneurs would open the
programme to any entrepreneur and 79% would also admit young would-be entrepreneurs, slightly
Summary, page 10
Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
more than seven out of 10 young entrepreneurs (72%) would open up the programme to university
students and just 66% to apprentices (see Table 1).
Table 1: Other target groups of the programme
Young would-be entrepreneurs
Young existing entrepreneurs
Start-up organisations
Trainers and counsellors
Any
entrepreneur
78%
83%
84%
81%
Young
(would-be)
entrepreneurs
83%
79%
76%
75%
University
students
77%
72%
68%
70%
Apprentices
67%
66%
58%
62%
Other target
group
58%
50%
61%
47%
Which other target groups?
%, Base: those who think the programme should not be limited to young (would-be) entrepreneurs
2.3.1 Entrepreneurs of all ages should be invited
One-third of young would-be entrepreneurs (33%) and existing entrepreneurs (32%) and slightly less
than four out of 10 representatives (39%), trainers and counsellors (38%) of start-up organisations said
that the lower age limit of the target group of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme
should be around 18 years.
Only 5% of the organisations’ representatives, trainers and counsellors said that the participants should
be older than 25 in order to take part in the programme. Among the young would-be and existing
entrepreneurs, slightly more said that the lower age limit should be above 25 years-of-age (8% of
young would-be entrepreneurs and 10% of young entrepreneurs) (see Table 2).
Looking at the results for the upper age limit, we see that 45% of young would-be entrepreneurs said
that the upper age limit should be over 40, and a similar proportion (42%) said that the upper age limit
should be below 40 years-of-age. Young entrepreneurs, representatives of start-up organisations,
trainers and counsellors, on the other hand, were more likely (more than half of respondents felt this
way) to express their preference for an upper age limit of over 40.
Table 2: Lower and upper age limits of the target group
Young would-be entrepreneurs
Young existing entrepreneurs
Start-up organisations
Trainers and counsellors
-18 years
33%
32%
39%
38%
Lower age limit
19-25 years 25+ years
55%
8%
54%
10%
46%
5%
52%
5%
DK/NA
4%
4%
11%
5%
Upper age limit
-40 years
40+ years
DK/NA
42%
45%
13%
34%
51%
15%
20%
53%
28%
29%
51%
21%
What should be the age range of the target group of such a programme? Could you tell me first what the lower age limit should be for the target
group? And what should be the upper age limit for the target group? Base: all respondents
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The Gallup Organization
2.4 Ideal time spent gaining experience in another Member State?
Table 3: Ideal length of stay abroad
Less then Between 6 months
or more
3 months 3 and 5
months
Young would-be
entrepreneurs
Young existing
entrepreneurs
Start-up
organisations
Trainers and
counsellors
DK/NA
23%
22%
52%
3%
41%
20%
34%
5%
51%
22%
19%
8%
51%
27%
18%
4%
When young would-be entrepreneurs were
asked about the length of time to be spent with
an entrepreneur in another Member State,
slightly more than half of them (52%) thought
that the ideal amount of time to be spent
with an entrepreneur in another Member
State would be six months or more. More or
less equal proportions thought that the length
of the stay should be less than three months
(23%), or between three and five months
(22%).
What would be the ideal length of the period that your clients/students
would be able to spend abroad? Please tell me the number of months.%,
Young entrepreneurs, representatives of startup organisations, trainers and counsellors, on
the other hand, were more likely to prefer a shorter exchange of experiences between
entrepreneurs. Four out of ten young entrepreneurs (41%) thought that the ideal duration for an
exchange of experiences with an entrepreneur in another Member State would be less than three
months, but only 34% answered that the time spent should be six months or more. For representatives,
and trainers and counsellors, we found that 51% answered that the duration of the exchange should be
less than three months and, respectively, 19% and 18% answered that the ideal duration would be six
months or more.
Base: all respondents
2.5 Costs associated with the stay in another Member State
Young would-be and existing entrepreneurs were asked to say what type of costs associated with the
stay abroad they would be willing to cover themselves, while representatives of start-up
organisation and the trainers and counsellors were asked what type of costs associated with the stay in
another member State should be covered by the programme.
A majority of both young would-be entrepreneurs (70%) and young entrepreneurs (68%) would be
willing to contribute to the financing of the time spent abroad within the programme. Only 26% of
both target groups reported that they were not willing to contribute to the financing of their stay in
another Member State.
Both young would-be and existing entrepreneurs, who said they would be willing to financially
contribute to their stay abroad, were most likely to mention that they would be willing to pay for
travel costs relating to the programme. Seven out of 10 young entrepreneurs and 66% of young
would-be entrepreneurs would be willing to pay for travel costs. However, large proportions of each
group of respondents would also be willing to pay for preparatory costs, such as language – or other
training – courses, and for daily expenses, such as food and accommodation (see Chart 8). Six out of
10 would-be entrepreneurs would be willing to pay for preparatory costs and the same proportion
would be willing to contribute to the cost of their time spent in another Member State. The
corresponding percentages for young entrepreneurs were 58% and 61%.
Summary, page 12
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Chart 8: Willingness to contribute to the financing of the stay abroad - type of costs
Young would-be entrepreneurs
Travel costs
Young entrepreneurs
Travel costs
66
70
Preparatory costs
(language course,
training)
60
Preparatory costs
(language course,
training)
58
Daily expenses
(food,
accommodation)
60
Daily expenses
(food,
accommodation)
61
What type of costs would you be ready to cover yourself?
%, Base: young would-be and existing entrepreneurs who are ready to contribute to the financing of the staying abroad
Representatives of start-up organisations were asked a similar question about their willingness to
contribute to the financing of their clients’ stay in another Member State. However, only one in five
representatives answered that their organisation would be willing to make a contribution.
Following the question about the willingness to contribute towards the programme, the organisations’
representatives, and also the trainers and counsellors, were asked what type of costs associated with
the stay abroad should be covered by the exchange programme, and a plurality agreed that all of
the costs associated with the stay abroad should be compensated.
Seven out of 10 representatives of start-up organisations said that the programme should cover travel
costs. Smaller numbers agreed that daily expenses, such as food and accommodation, should be
covered (62%) and that the programme should cover preparatory costs, such as a language course or
other types of training (63%). Slightly less than half of the respondents thought that there should also
be compensation for the host entrepreneur in return for hosting a young entrepreneur.
Chart 9: Costs covered by the envisaged EU programme
Start-up organisations
70
Travel costs
Trainers an d counsellors
Travel costs
80
80
Daily expenses
(food,
accommodation)
62
Daily expenses
(food,
accomm odation)
Preparatory costs
( language course,
training)
63
Preparatory costs
( language course,
training)
68
A fee for the host
entrepreneur
64
A fee for the host
entrepreneur
49
What type of costs that the vi sit a broad would impl y shouldbe covered by the envisa ged EU programme?
%, Base: start-up organisati ons N=488, trai ner s/ counsel lors N=449
Eight out of 10 trainers and
counsellors
said
that
the
programme should cover travel
costs, and the same proportion
felt that daily expenses should be
included. A smaller group (68%)
agreed that the programme
should encompass preparatory
costs. Sixty-four percent of
trainers and counsellors thought
that
there
should
be
compensation for the host
entrepreneur in return for
accommodating an entrepreneur.
page 13
Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
3. Characteristics of the ideal host company
3.1 Experience of the host entrepreneur
In both potential target groups, young would-be entrepreneurs and existing entrepreneurs,
approximately two in three respondents (68% and 66%, respectively) would prefer to learn from an
older and more experienced entrepreneur than a younger entrepreneur (15% and 14%). Nearly
one in five young would-be entrepreneurs (16%) and young entrepreneurs (19%) said they had no
specific preference in this regard (see Chart 10).
The answers provided by the representatives, trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations,
however, showed a different picture. For these groups of respondents, the proportion that did not give
any preference for the age and experience of the host entrepreneur was almost as large as the
proportion that preferred an older and more experienced host entrepreneur. We found that 40% of
representatives of start-up organisations had no preference for the age and experience of the host
entrepreneur compared to 46% who preferred an older and more experienced entrepreneur. The
corresponding percentages for trainers and counsellors were, respectively, 41% and 44%.
Chart 10: Preferred age group of host entrepreneur
Young would-be
entrepreneurs
15
Young existing
entrepreneurs
14
Start-up
organisations
Trainers and
counsellors
11
15
68
16
66
46
44
19
40
41
1
Young entrepreneur
2
Older and more
experienced entrepreneur
3
Both would have been fine
1
DK/NA
What do you think would be more advantageous for you/your clients/your students: to learn from and exchange experiences with a
young entrepreneur who has established his/her company quite recently, OR with an older and more experienced entrepreneur?
%, Base: all respondents
3.2 Business sector of the host enterprise
A majority of respondents preferred a mobility programme that would bring together two
entrepreneurs from the same business sector; we found that 53% of young would-be entrepreneurs,
59% of young entrepreneurs, 57% of start-up organisations’ representatives and 70% of trainers and
counsellors expressed such a preference (see Chart 11).
Slightly more young would-be and existing entrepreneurs had a preference for a programme design
where entrepreneurs from different business sectors could collaborate (35% and 29%, respectively,
of young would-be and existing entrepreneurs, compared to 21% and 17%, respectively, of
representatives and trainers/counsellors). On the contrary, the organisations’ representatives and the
trainers and counsellors put less importance on the differences or similarities between the business
sectors of guest and host entrepreneurs (18% and 11%, respectively, of representatives and
trainers/counsellors answered that the business sector did not matter compared to, 11% and 10%,
respectively, of young would-be and existing entrepreneurs).
Summary, page 14
Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
Chart 11: Branches/business sectors of guest and host entrepreneurs
Young would-be
entrepreneurs
53
Young existing
entrepreneurs
59
Start-up
organisations
57
Trainers and
counsellors
35
29
21
70
18
17
11 2
The same branch /
business sector
10 2
Different branches /
business sectors
3
12 1
Does not matter
DK/NA
From which branches / business sectors should the person moving abroad and the host entrepreneur come from?
%, Base: all respondents
3.3 A preference for micro and small enterprises as hosts
Given the choice, a clear majority of respondents would prefer a micro- or small company (up to 50
employees) as the size of enterprise that young entrepreneurs might visit as part of the planned
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme.
The preference for medium-sized companies was slightly higher among young would-be and existing
entrepreneurs than among representatives, trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations
(respectively, 11% and 8% of young would-be and existing entrepreneurs compared to, respectively,
6% and 5% of representatives and trainers/counsellors of start-up organisations), but the organisations’
representatives and the trainers and counsellors were more likely to say that the employee size of the
host enterprise was of no importance (respectively, 25% and 20% of representatives and
trainers/counsellors compared to, respectively, 15% and 19% of young would-be and existing
entrepreneurs).
Table 4: Preferred size of the host enterprise
Young would-be entrepreneurs
Young existing entrepreneurs
Start-up organisations
Trainers and counsellors
Micro
company
(> 1 and ≤ 10)
32%
35%
26%
37%
Small company
(> 10 and ≤ 50)
40%
34%
36%
36%
Medium/large
size
(> 50)
11%
8%
6%
5%
It does not
matter
15%
19%
25%
20%
DK/NA
2%
3%
8%
2%
What should be the size of the enterprise that you/your clients and students visit, for instance, how many employees should the enterprise have?
%, Base: all respondents
page 15
Flash EB No 212
The Gallup Organization
4. Potential hosts
The survey also asked the young entrepreneurs, who have started up a business in the last three
years, and the representatives of the start-up organisations about their willingness to act as hosts.
Those young entrepreneurs and representatives of start-up organisations that expressed a willingness
to act as a host were then presented with a list of ways in which they could contribute in practice. For
each of these items, e.g. lodgings, office space, training courses, they were asked if they would be
ready to offer facilities to a guest entrepreneur.
Nearly two out of three young entrepreneurs
(62%) said they were ready to contribute
to the hosting of another young
entrepreneur or would-be entrepreneur.
Chart 12: Willingness of young entrepreneurs to
contribute to the hosting of a young (would-be)
entrepreneur - type of the contribution
S h a rin g sp eci fi c ski ll s an d k n ow -h o w o f
75
m y com pa n y
Results showed that, while approximately
three out of four of those amenable
respondents were willing to share their
skills and know-how (75%) and to
introduce the guest entrepreneur to the
local business environment (70%), they
proved to be less willing to contribute to the
actual costs of a guest’s stay. While
approximately two in three respondents said
they were willing to provide board and
lodgings (66%), only about half of the
respondents (willing to act as a host) would
offer office space, training and language
courses (51%) and a small salary (47%).
Even fewer respondents, one in three, were
ready to cover travel expenses (36%).
I n tr od u ct ion to t h e lo ca l b u sin ess
en v ir on m e n t in t h e h o st cou n t ry
Offic e s pac e
Traini ng cours es
81
70
64
66
Pro v id in g b oar d a n d ac com m od a ti on
O ff ic e spa ce, t ra in i n g, la n g u ag e c ou rse
51
A sm a ll sal ar y / f ee
47
C ov eri n g th e t ra v el e xp en ses
36
What kindof contributioncoul dy ouoffer when hosting a young (would-be)
entrepreneur?
%, Base: those who are re ady to contribute
Chart 13: Willingness of start-up organisations to
contribute to the hosting of a young (would-be)
entrepreneur - type of contribution
I ntr oducti on to the l oca l busine ss
e nvi ronm ent
70
Representatives of start-up organisations
were less likely than the young
entrepreneurs to answer positively to the
question about their willingness to act as
a host – only 44% answered that their
organisation would be willing to host a
young (would-be) entrepreneur.
The largest percentage of representatives
of start-up organisations (willing to act as
41
a host) would introduce the guest
Prov i ding boa rd and
33
entrepreneur to the local business
ac c omm odati on
environment (81%). While 64% of
A sm all salary / fe e
24
respondents were willing to offer
training courses, only 41% were willing
18
Cov eri ng the trave l e xpens es
to offer language courses. Finally,
although
seven out of 10 respondents
What ki nd of contri buti on could your organi sati on offer when hosting a young
(would-be) entrepreneur?
were
willing
to provide office space,
%, Base: those who ar e ready to contri bute
respondents were less willing to
contribute to the other costs of a guest’s stay – 33% said they were willing to provide board and
lodgings, 24% would offer a small salary, and 18% were ready to cover travel expenses.
La nguage cours es
Summary, page 16
The Gallup Organization
Flash EB No 212
A note on the methodology of the Flash EB 212 "Erasmus for
Young Entrepreneurs"
Phase 1: start-up counselling and support organisations
Phase 1 of this Flash Eurobarometer was conducted between the 10th and the 30th October, 2007.
During the survey, 488 representatives of start-up counselling and support organisations were
interviewed in 26 EU Member States. The survey was carried out by telephone with WebCATI (webbased computer assisted telephone interviewing).
Sampling was achieved by collecting contact details of organisations providing support and
counselling for business start-ups, such as chambers of commerce, public organisations, private
counselling companies or non-governmental organisations. Unfortunately, Denmark was not able to
provide any addresses of start-up organisations.
Out of the 488 representatives that were interviewed, 292 were directors of the organisation in
question or of the start-up counselling and support service of that organisation, and 196 held other
positions, such as vice director, president or head of department.
Phase 2: trainers and counsellors of start-up organisations
Phase 2 of this Flash Eurobarometer was conducted between the 16th October and 30th October, 2007.
During the survey, 449 trainers and counsellors, who are in regular contact with young (would-be)
entrepreneurs, were interviewed in 21 EU Member States. The survey was carried out by telephone
with WebCATI.
The selection of respondents was a two-step process. In the first step (Phase I of the project), relevant
start-up counselling and support organisations in the different Member States were identified and
interviewed about the planned pilot programme "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs". At the end of the
interview, contact details of the trainers and counsellors working for the organisation were collected.
In the second step, attempts were made to interview those trainers and counsellors for whom contact
details had been provided.
Unfortunately, three countries (the Netherlands, Denmark, and Luxembourg) were not able to provide
any addresses of trainers or counsellors, and three other countries – Finland, Malta and Latvia – could
not conduct any interviews because the selected trainers and counsellors could not be contacted or
refused to participate in the survey.
Thirty-four percent of respondents said that they give more than 15 hours of training or coaching to
young (would-be) entrepreneurs during an average week, 20% provide between 9 and 15 hours of
training per week, and 24% between 3 and 8 hours per week. Only one-sixth of respondents give less
than 3 hours of teaching or coaching per week.
Phase 3: young would-be and young existing entrepreneurs
Phase 3 of this Flash Eurobarometer was conducted between the 28th September and 20th October,
2007. More than 6,000 randomly-selected young would-be entrepreneurs (n=3425) and young existing
entrepreneurs (n=2742) between the ages of 18 and 40 were interviewed in all of the EU Member
States. The survey was carried out by telephone, with WebCATI.
Sampling was achieved in two steps; a random representative sample of the general population
between the ages of 18 and 40 was selected, and the sampled persons were screened as to whether or
not they belonged to any of the two broad beneficiary groups (existing and would-be entrepreneurs) of
the planned programme. The results of the screening interviews indicated that 11% of EU citizens
between 18 and 40 years-of-age identified themselves as a would-be entrepreneur and 8% were
already entrepreneurs.
page 17