Would you like to start your own business?

54244

Total votes

12521

5-11 votes

41723

11-16+ votes

Over National Careers week, we asked young people to consider what they might want from their future careers. We were interested in research conducted by AXA UK, which showed that 60% of young people want to be their own boss by the age of 30. Our voters discussed the pros and cons of owning their own business, before deciding whether it was something they wanted to pursue.

Primary, Secondary and College students considered, “Would you like to start your own business?”

54,244 young people voted on this VoteTopic.

Age 5-11 voter

It can be frustrating to have people always telling what you can and cannot do, but having your own business means you can create your own salary and choose when you get days off.

Age 11-16 voter

Businesses can be hard to maintain but with the right drive and a growth mindset anything is possible.

Age 16+ voter

It is better to have a salary you can rely on because even though we might earn more as a business owner if it profits and get to be our own boss, it's too unreliable.

59% of Secondary students want to be more confident talking about money.

Primary pupils had the greatest 'Yes' majority vote for the question, "Would you like to start your own business?"
7 out of 10 were keen to start their own business in the future.

83% of students aged 16+ believe we need to learn more about managing money.

Meanwhile, Secondary students also had a majority 'Yes' vote.
However, it was much slimmer than the Primary result, with a considerable 45% voting 'No'.

Some students thought money wasn't a relevant topic for them and they were too young to learn about it.

College and older students were the least keen to start their own businesses, as they just secured a majority 'No' vote, at 51%.
Many said it was too risky and unreliable. They gravitated more towards careers with a salary and employee benefits.

There was a clear trend showing that willingness to start a business started high at Primary school and steadily declined with age.
The College vote was close to split, meaning a good percentage of older students were still hoping to seek self-employment in the future.
These results suggest that as young people age, they begin to appreciate stability in a job more than, or as much as, flexibility.