U.S. high school students' entrepreneurial ambition at new low

A little more than one in four U.S. high school students, or 27 percent, intend to start their own business, the lowest level in five years, found a latest Gallup poll.

This was down from the 33 percent to 35 percent range recorded from 2011 to 2015, according to a Gallup-HOPE Index poll conducted from Sept. 12-Nov. 7, 2016. U.S. high school students are usually those who are in the grades nine to 12.

In contrast, 55 percent of American students in grades five to eight, say they plan to start their own business.

This reveals the largest gap in entrepreneurial ambitions between the two student groups since 2011.

The gap "could reflect that students' goals change as they age, or perhaps some students become less interested in entrepreneurship as they become more familiar with it," Gallup explained.

The entrepreneurial ambition among older peers in American high schools declines despite increased availability of classes on the subject could be because they have a better sense of what work they want to do and find the idea of being a business owner less appealing amid economic slowdown, Gallup said.

To address the slowdown, U.S. business and education leaders will need to find a way to give the next generation of entrepreneurs the tools they need to keep their ambitions alive, Gallup suggested. Endit