Overview
GEM is the largest survey-based study of entrepreneurship in the world. During the course of its history since 1999, over 60 countries have been involved with the research.
GEM Research has three main objectives:
- To measure differences in the level of early stage entrepreneurial activity between countries
- To uncover factors determining the levels of entrepreneurial activity
- To identify policies that may enhance the level of entrepreneurial activity
The GEM approach
Every year each national team is responsible for conducting a survey of at least 2000 people within its adult population. The Adult Population Survey is a survey of attitudes towards entrepreneurship in the general population but it also asks people whether or not they are engaged in start up activity or own or run a business.
The individual national team surveys are all collected in exactly the same way and at exactly the same time of year to ensure the quality of the data.
The individual national team surveys are harmonised into one master dataset that allows users to investigate entrepreneurial activity at various stages of the entrepreneurial process, as well as to study a variety of factors characterizing both entrepreneurs and their businesses in each participating nation and across countries.
Overall, GEM’s unique ability to provide information on the entrepreneurial landscape of countries in a global context makes its data a necessary resource for any serious attempt to study and track entrepreneurial behaviour worldwide.
More information about GEM research and methods can be found in the article 'Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: Data Collection Design and Implementation 1998–2003' by Paul Reynolds, Niels Bosma, Erkko Autio, Steve Hunt, Natalie De Bono, Isabel Servais, Paloma Lopez-Garcia and Nancy Chin. This article was published in the Small Business Economics Journal in April 2005, and can be currently be accessed through the Springerlink.com site here.
Developments in GEM Research
Clearly, entrepreneurship is a complex phenomenon and can be found in a variety of settings and situations. Thus, no single measurement, no matter how precise, can capture the entrepreneurial landscape of a country. As a result, GEM takes a holistic approach to the study of entrepreneurship and provides a comprehensive set of measurements aimed at describing several aspects of the entrepreneurial make-up of a country. In addition to early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity, GEM identifies “established business owners.” Established business owners are entrepreneurs who have paid salaries and wages for more than 42 months. Their businesses have survived the most risky stage of the entrepreneurial process and much can be learned from comparing early-stage and established business owners.
GEM documents also entrepreneurial motivation. Thus, business owners are classified as being either necessity-driven or opportunity-driven. In addition, GEM documents the characteristics of all entrepreneurs with respect to product novelty, intensity of competition, employment and expansion plans, and use of technology. Finally, GEM looks at the socioeconomic characteristics of populations; as well as their subjective perceptions and expectations about the entrepreneurial environment.
Some countries include questions in their survey to enable them to analyse family-based entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship. These are areas that we are seeking to develop internationally.
GEM Datasets
GEM data for 1999, 2000, 2001-2003 and 2004 is currently in the public domain.
1999 APS Data
GEM National Teams have access to GEM data for the years in which they have paid their fees. If you are a National Team member, please log in to access your data.
Please click here for the GEM Data Release Policy.
GEM prides itself on the integrity and quality of its research and its data and the Research Director is responsible for overseeing this aspect of the project. There are several processes that we go through to ensure that the Adult Population Survey meets best practice requirements of international social survey work: