American Entrepreneurship Survey
Americans want to build businesses.
They're looking for the country to make it easier.
The American people harbor strong entrepreneurial dreams. However, a significant number feel that current conditions to start and grow businesses are negative. Overall, Americans feel that governments at all levels can do more to support entrepreneurs, remove barriers, and create a more level playing field.
The gap between aspiration and action.
While 69% of non-entrepreneurs have considered starting a business, only 42% of that group say they are likely to do so within the next two years.
Americans see the current climate as tough.
39% of Americans say current conditions in the United States for starting and growing new businesses are bad.
Among young respondents (ages 18-34), 37% view current conditions as bad, just as pessimistic as the sample overall.
Government isn't seen as making it easier.
Only 23% say the federal government makes it easy to start a business.
Only 28% say their state government makes it easy.
Only 29% say their local government makes it easy.
Key resources are seen as out of reach.
Only 19% say affordable childcare is available to people starting a business.
Only 23% say affordable health insurance is available to people starting a business.
Only 28% say funding and financial resources are readily available to people starting a business.
Access to organizations and programs (36%), mentors (36%), and professional networks (40%) fares somewhat better, but still leaves a majority of Americans unconvinced these resources are readily available.
AI's upside for entrepreneurs isn't widely felt yet.
Only 18% of Americans say AI lowers the cost of starting a business.
50% say AI makes it easier to find information or advice on how to start a business, the most widely recognized upside.
Only 28% say AI makes it easier for people like them to start a business, and only 32% say AI helps people with fewer resources compete against bigger, established businesses.
Taken together, these findings point to a significant opportunity. Americans want their governments, at all levels, to make it easier to start and grow businesses. These popular sentiments are echoed across a wide range of policy and economic concerns.
Survey Methodology
Right to Start commissioned a national survey to better understand Americans' attitudes about entrepreneurship and the conditions that support entrepreneurial opportunity.
The online survey was conducted in April 2026 with a national sample of 3,527 U.S. adults. Six states—California, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and Oklahoma—were intentionally oversampled to enable reliable state-level analysis and comparison. That data is not presented on this page. Because those states contributed more respondents than their share of the U.S. population, the national results were weighted so that each state's contribution reflects its actual share of the U.S. population. The sample was balanced by age and gender to reflect the U.S. adult population using U.S. Census benchmarks.