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Abstract
Much of the current discussion on factors that influence entrepreneurial activity focuses
on availability of human, social, and financial capitals, regional economic conditions, and dynamics
of population. We discuss social attitudes toward entrepreneurship and how attitudes
may influence entrepreneurial activity. We analyze telephone survey questions designed to
gauge attitudes towards community entrepreneurship. High school entrepreneurship career
exploration and positive spin-offs from locally-owned business achieved the highest level of
support. Both individual- and community-level variables are significantly associated with attitudes
toward entrepreneurship. For example, black ethnicity and Detroit residency held
positive association with support for high school entrepreneurship curricula. There is statistically
significant regional variation in attitudes beyond what traditional regressors can explain,
indicating that such attitudes are best measured directly, not estimated. Our results provide a
step towards generating benchmarks for communities wishing to employ policies that encourage
a shift in entrepreneurial attitudes.