KfW Research: What young and emerging entrepreneurs want most of all is less bureaucracy

• Survey found that reducing bureaucracy tops the list of requests to policymakers for 44 per cent of entrepreneurs
• They also want financial relief and more social appreciation
• (Emerging) entrepreneurs are more optimistic about the future than the broader population

The main policy change people who only recently founded a business or are planning to start one want to see is less bureaucracy. In a snap poll of users of the Start-up platform (Gründerplattform), 44 per cent of respondents stated that they wanted policymakers to take steps to cut red tape, such as simplifying tax rules, enabling businesses to be founded online and at low cost, and shortening processing times. Twenty-seven per cent of respondents to the open-ended questions wanted financial relief such as lower health insurance premiums or lower taxes. Fifteen per cent raised the thematic issues of gender equality and fairness, advocating for improvements such as equal treatment of employees and self-employed people in policy decisions and more appreciation for entrepreneurship and innovative spirit.

The start-up platform Gründerplattform is based on an initiative of KfW and the Federal Ministry of Economics. It accompanies and supports the start-up process with information and software tools. The snap poll was conducted in February 2026. It is not representative but provides important insights into the situation of (emerging) entrepreneurs in Germany.

“Germany needs more entrepreneurial spirit. It is therefore of vital importance to make it as easy as possible for entrepreneurs to focus on their day-to-day work. This is still a problem. Reducing bureaucracy is one of the most important issues for the German economy and must be addressed as a matter of urgency,” said Dr Dirk Schumacher, Chief Economist of KfW.

The good news is that the majority of (emerging) entrepreneurs remain optimistic about their future. In the snap poll, 61 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that 2026 will be better for them and their family than 2025. Among the overall German population, that response was given by only 57 per cent. At the same time, 44 per cent of (emerging) entrepreneurs also agreed with the statement that 2025 was a bad year for them and their family. The year before, only 38 per cent admitted this.

The brief analysis can be found at Focus on Economics | KfW