A new survey by Junior Achievement (JA) shows that nearly half of teens (47%) interested in starting a business as adults would likely use Generative AI in place of employees. Nearly three-quarters of teens surveyed (71%) responded that they would be likely to consider starting a business as an adult, down slightly from a similar survey in 2023 (76%). The survey of 1,004 teens between 13 and 17 was conducted by Big Village between October 8 – October 13, 2024. According to the Small Business Administration, of the more than 33 million small businesses in the United States, more than 81 percent of them have no employees outside of the business owner.
“At first glance, the fact that teens are looking to use AI instead of hiring employees might seem a bit concerning,” said Anne Landers, Chief Operating Officer at Junior Achievement of Arizona. “However, most small businesses don’t have the need or ability to hire employees, so the fact that teens recognize the possibility of AI to add capacity to a business cost-effectively can be seen as a positive for a wide variety of startups.”
Junior Achievement conducted the survey to coincide with National Entrepreneurship Month in November. Each year, Junior Achievement reaches more than 4.6 million students in grades K through 12, as well as young adults, with lessons that focus on entrepreneurship, work and career readiness, and financial literacy. Junior Achievement of Arizona reached 190,000 primarily low-income students in the 2023-2024 school year.
Other key survey findings include:
- More than one in five teens (22%) likely to start a business said their interest was sparked by a class or program at school, second only to being inspired by a social media influencer (29%).
- Teens are most interested in starting a business as a social media influencer (19%), followed by running a service business, such as hair care, childcare, lawn care, plumbing, etc. (12%), and owning a retail store or shop (10%).
Methodology
This Youth CARAVAN survey was conducted by Big Village among a sample of 1,004 13-17-year-olds. This survey was live on October 8 – October 13, 2024. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have volunteered to participate in online surveys and polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to multiple sources of error, including, but not limited to sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. It is nationally representative with set quotas based on census data. The 1,003 completes are all who qualified and completed based on the demographic quota requirements. The MoE is +/- 3.1%.
About Junior Achievement of Arizona
Junior Achievement of Arizona (JAAZ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that equips Arizona students to succeed in work and life by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to manage their money, plan for their future, and make smart academic, career, and economic choices. Since 1957, JAAZ has taught kids kindergarten through high school about financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship. The organization’s hands-on, age-appropriate programs are delivered by more than 8,000 corporate and community volunteers. Despite educational obstacles during the pandemic, JAAZ reached approximately 190,000 students in the 2023-2024 school year. Follow @JAArizona on social media or visit https://www.jaaz.org/our-programs/resource-repository/ for more free online educational tools.
