The KfW Entrepreneurship Monitor is an annual representative population survey conducted by telephone to gather information on start-up activity in Germany. The survey has been carried out by a well-known market research institute on behalf of KfW since the year 2000. The KfW Entrepreneurship Monitor paints a comprehensive picture of entrepreneurship in Germany. In particular the large number of characteristics of the entrepreneurs, as well as their start-up projects, is a defining feature of this database. In addition, business start-up survival in the first three business years can also be determined.
The wealth of information of the KfW Entrepreneurship Monitor allows a detailed analysis of start-up activity. A number of those results are published in the annual report.
Brief description of the KfW Entrepreneurship Monitor:
- The annual cross section survey has thus far been conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). Representativity is secured with regard to persons between 18 and 67 years of age resident in Germany with a sufficient command of the German language. Since 2008, about 50,000 persons (40,000 people before 2008) have been interviewed per survey wave. Since 2010, a dual frame approach has been employed to ensure both households with landlines and households with mobile phones are reached.
- In each survey wave, 4-5% of respondents typically state that they entered into self-employment as a freelancer or started a commercial activity in the 60 months prior to the interview. Whether or not the start-up is still active at the time of the interview is irrelevant for the survey.
- New entrepreneurs are defined as persons entering into full-time or sideline self-employment, starting a new business or participating in or taking over an existing venture. It does not matter whether it is a commercial or freelance start-up or a start-up in agriculture or forestry.
- The entrepreneurs meeting this criteria are asked about 50 questions regarding the type of start-up, the employees, financing decisions and continuation of the start-up. Personal details, such as age, gender, education, nationality or work status are collected for new entrepreneurs and for a comparison group of people (approx. 15% of the total sample) who have not founded a business in the past 5 years and who had no plans to do so in the past year. This provides comparative group information, for example for analysing the decision to start a business.
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