Take a look at the results from the 2010 Junior Achievement’s “Teens and Entrepreneurship” Survey. According to the survey, Steve Jobs (founder of Apple) is the person most admired among these young entrepreneurs. Jobs beat out the likes of Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Tony Hawk (professional skateboarder) and Jay-Z (rapper).
What’s most notable about the results is that making money wasn’t the biggest issue these students most admired. In fact, characteristics that recognized “wealth and fame” only earned about 10% of the results. The characteristic that earned the highest ranking (31%) was: They made a difference in people’s lives.
The image shown in this post was taken from the report. Here’s the results from the following survey question:
Many leaders and celebrities have been successful starting their own businesses. Which of the following entrepreneurs do you admire MOST?
Steve Jobs – 23%
J.K. Rowling – 17%
Oprah Winfrey – 14%
Jay-Z – 13%
Tony Hawk – 9%
Mark Zuckerberg – 9%
Russell Simmons – 6%
Stella McCartney – 5%
None of these – 4%
Don’t know – 1%
I found this survey to be extremely hopeful. The survey was conducted by telephone to 1000 students between the ages of 12-17. These are all Generation iY kids. If you read my review of Dr. Tim Elmore’s latest book, Generation iY (read it here), you’ll note the potential of a bleak future for this emerging generation. It’s results like this that show that somebody out there is working hard to prepare our students to tackle the obstacles that lie ahead for them.
What do I mean by results like this?
The results that rose to the top of the list didn’t deal with fame and fortune, but were based on impact and the improved lives of others. In a world neckdeep with folks trying to find their five minutes of noteriety, these students’ responses reflect a greater concern for the world around them. Success seemed to be defined as the ability to make a difference more than the knack to make a buck.
You can download the one page pdf of the results here. Hats off to the Junior Achievement organization for their work. I trust you find this material helpful.
Picture credit: Junior Achievement “Teens and Entrepreneurship” Survey
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