Everybody knows who Marilyn Monroe was. But Steve Jobs? According to a new survey from the Kauffman Foundation, only 52.8 percent of respondents recognized the late Apple Inc. leader.
In fact, entrepreneurs don’t generate nearly the same kind of public awareness that entertainers do. Jobs was actually the most recognizable entrepreneur named in the survey, beating Sam Walton (38.1 percent), Thomas Edison (33.3 percent) and Elon Musk (12.9 percent.)
Oprah Winfrey was included in the survey, but only 38.9 percent of respondents classified her as an entrepreneur.
“Men may perceive Oprah Winfrey first as a TV personality rather than an entrepreneur, and women may be less familiar with Elon Musk because his successes have been in automobiles and space flight, which stereotypically are more interesting to men,” said Paul Kedrosky, a senior fellow with the Kauffman Foundation.
Kedrosky is the author of a new study, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Steve Jobs: Who is an Entrepreneurial Role Model?, which looks at the need for entrepreneurial role models.
“Because entrepreneurs in general, and particularly ‘growth’ entrepreneurs whose ventures create the most jobs, are so important to the economy, these findings point to a need for role models that encourage entrepreneurship among both genders.”
