ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE POPULATION

General Overview

To understand entrepreneurship more fully in the U.S. economy, it is critical to study the pathways people take towards business ownership and self-employment. Thus, this survey considers the experiences not only of current entrepreneurs but also individuals in the process of starting a business, as well as those who are no longer business owners. EPOP is a particularly timely survey, given the many changes individuals and businesses have experienced from the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is conducting five annual surveys with approximately 31,000 participants each year. Having this many people complete the survey allows for researchers and policymakers to get a more complete snapshot of the population. This snapshot includes how many people currently own or are planning to start their own businesses. The EPOP survey also asks about what supports or prevents people from engaging in entrepreneurship in the U.S.