UK one of best countries for social entrepreneurs

The UK has been named as one of the top countries to be a social entrepreneur in a new study.

The research, which was carried out by Thomson Reuters in partnership with Deutsche Bank, advice group UnLtd and the Global Social Entrepreneurship Network, is the world’s first poll for locating the best countries for social entrepreneurs.

Favourable

The study asked participants from 44 countries whether or not the conditions in their country are favourable for social entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. Over 70 per cent of UK respondents answered “yes”, placing the UK in third place.

The survey also looked at how participants felt about the support that the UK’s social entrepreneurs receive, with over 75 per cent believing that social entrepreneurs can access the non-financial support that they need, and 68.8 per cent saying that government policy supports social entrepreneurs.

The UK also scored high for attracting talent, with 58.3 per cent of respondents saying that it is easy for social entrepreneurs to attract staff with the required skills. This placed the UK in 15thplace, level with Belgium.

Funding

The research looked at how participants felt about access to funding for social entrepreneurs, with 47.9 per cent saying that it is easy for them to get grant funding in the UK, placing it in 13th place.

The UK also scored high for how easy it is for social entrepreneurs to earn a living in the country, coming in second place behind Canada at 70.5 per cent.