Originally published June 14 2013
Entrepreneurial spirit highest in Arizona, Utah, Colorado; lowest in rust-belt states and deep south
by Lance Johnson
(NaturalNews) The spirit of the west harbors the most entrepreneurial spirit, according to demographics laid out by researchers at the University of Jena in Germany and The University of Texas at Austin.
Of the 500,000 diverse and widespread personalities studied, the researchers found key traits prominent in specific areas. The Western states of Montana, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nebraska were home to the most socially engaging and creative personalities while southern states like Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi revealed less of an entrepreneurial spirit. The rust belt region, Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana also showed low demographics of risk taking spirit and startup mentality.
Researcher's map shows where entrepreneurial spirit thrives and where it's less present
The researchers put together a map highlighting where the Unites States' entrepreneurial spirit thrives. Take a look here: http://www.newswise.com/images/uploads/2013/...
Their findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows which regions entrepreneurial spirit flourishes and where it's less present. Their findings could possibly relate geographic norms, parenting styles, and genealogical thought patterns to how entrepreneurial spirit is born. According to their publishing, "founders of successful companies tend to exhibit personality traits that make them more socially engaging, creative, and able to handle stress than non-entrepreneurs."
Geographic and psychological development factors
Their studies reveal how geographic factors influence personality. Where a person is brought up, how they are brought up, and what they see as normal, reflects and shows up in their personality as they mature.
This may explain only part of the psychological development of these entrepreneurial traits. These traits may have been handed down through generations. The risk-taking attributes of migrating populations help explain why the West harbors more entrepreneur spirit.
Professor Silbereisen suspected that, "it is very well possible that in the USA long-term migration processes play a decisive role. Today's concentration of people with a highly developed entrepreneurial spirit may well be a shadow from the past: The first settlers who moved westward in the 19th century, were possibly those who were looking for entrepreneurial challenges and have passed these traits on to their descendants."
Rust belt and Deep South harboring fewest startup businesses
The researchers compared their personality study with data they collected from major geographic regions - like the number of business startups present. Their personality study matched their data on the frequency of small business startups.
Austin Professor, Samuel Gosling said, "The Rust Belt has a long tradition in rule-driven mass production. It is therefore possible that this region supported non-entrepreneurial values more strongly, which in turn might have been reflected in a less marked entrepreneurial personality structure." Parenting and social institutions play an important role in this.
Research on Germany shows similar clusters of behavior
The researchers also studied Germany's entrepreneurial spirit and geographic distribution. A very similar ranking appears in the distribution of the number of self-employed persons in Germany. Prof. Schmitt Rodermund said, "Berlin and Hamburg are at the forefront, whereas Brandenburg and Saxony are at the bottom end of the scale."
They also correlated regional distribution of personality with entrepreneurial activity in these specific areas. Much of these trends, they suggest, are based on history. After the Second World War in Germany, many businesspeople fled East Germany and resettled in Western Germany, where they joined in to develop a thriving economy.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.newswise.com
http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com
http://www.futurity.org
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/fj-wei053113.php
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