Entrepreneurs' Gloom Contradicts Wall Street Optimism

In the past year, more than one-third of the entrepreneurs surveyed have shed jobs while only five percent of entrepreneurs have added employees.

A majority of entrepreneurs believe that the stimulus package has hurt entrepreneurial activity, and entrepreneurs want government to pursue a fundamentally different approach to encourage entrepreneurship.

69 percent of entrepreneurs believe the recession will last one to two years longer

75 percent think the United States cannot have a sustained economic recovery without another burst of entrepreneurial activity

Since 1980, companies less than five years old have accounted for virtually all net new-job creation in the U.S.

"In America, entrepreneurial activity is a leading force in the health and growth of our economy," said Carl J. Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. "These results confirm that we've got a long way to go before we’re in the clear."

- Kauffman Foundation