It is widely recognised that enterprise spirit is a strong driving force for any economy, yet Europeans are still reluctant to embrace the entrepreneurial culture. Recent EU-funded studies have looked at the potential role of the audiovisual media, especially television, in promoting a more positive attitude to entrepreneurship in Europe.

Entrepreneurship is a major driver of innovation, competitiveness and growth – 80% of all new jobs in Europe are created by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Yet, only 45% of Europeans aspire to being their own boss, compared with over 60% of Americans. In addition, attitudes to entrepreneurs tend to be more negative, with 45% of Europeans believing that business owners only think about their own profit and 42% that they exploit the work of others.

The reasons for this ‘entrepreneurial gap’ are varied and complex, but a project undertaken jointly by the European Commission and the Member States is looking at the potential role of television, and other audiovisual media such as radio and internet, in helping to stimulate a more positive attitude to enterprise in Europe and generally improving the climate for our entrepreneurs of the future.

In a first step, a study was conducted to examine the potential influence of TV on career choice and attitudes and to collect information in several Member States on existing TV programmes which deal with entrepreneurship. The study also looked into the relationship between the media and people's attitudes towards certain professions.

Providing positive role models

It is clear that audiovisual media, especially television, have the advantage of reaching a very broad audience and their power to influence attitudes is beyond doubt. Commission project officer, Thomas Jaegers is, however, quick to point out that this is far from brainwashing. “Eurobarometer surveys have shown that people whose parents have been self-employed are far more likely to have a positive attitude to entrepreneurship than others".

Enterprising programming

The expert report on ‘Promoting entrepreneurship on TV and in other audiovisual media’ provides a preliminary exploration of the different types of programmes presently on offer in Europe. Entrepreneurship is a phenomenon with many facets and its multidimensional character is reflected in the great variety of types of programmes that in one way or another deal with the issue.