14 DAY TRIAL // Teenagers have chosen Apple Co-founder and CEO Steven P. Jobs as the most admired entrepreneur in a survey released on Tuesday by Junior Achievement, an organization that educates students in regards to employment. Of the 1,000 teens surveyed, 35 percent voted for Jobs, beating celebs including Oprah Winfrey (25 percent), skateboarder Tony Hawk (16 percent), and Facebook Co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (ten percent).
“Junior Achievement recently surveyed 1,000 U.S. tweens and teens ages 12-17 and asked them to choose the well-known entrepreneur they most admired from a list provided,” the official press release says. “Surprisingly, teens chose a business legend from the technology sector over fashionistas, Facebook and even the Queen of Daytime. Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder responsible for bringing cool gadgets to the iPhone generation, was selected over Tony Hawk, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Kimora Lee Simmons, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg.”
Most of those who chose Jobs cited the iPod as his biggest achievement, but also that he “made a difference in/improved people's lives or made the world a better place.” Another 33 percent chose Jobs because of his “success in multiple fields.” Wealth played a minimal role among the 12- to 17-year-olds polled, who garnered just four percent for Jobs and three percent for Oprah Winfrey.
“We live in a celebrity-obsessed culture, so it's no surprise that teens admire famous entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey, who have built brands around their personas as well as around their products,” Jack Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA, comments. “More importantly however, given that many teens show interest in entrepreneurship, we want to provide them with the tools to start successful businesses. Junior Achievement's programs, such as JA Be Entrepreneurial, give teens a solid foundation upon which to achieve their dreams of business ownership.”
Junior Achievement recently unveiled its newest program, JA Be Entrepreneurial – an effort created through support from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to teach aspiring teen moguls how to start their own business enterprises. Sponsored by UPS, the program targets high-school students through hands-on activities and the support of a classroom volunteer.