The Influence of National Culture and Family Involvement on Entrepreneurial Perceptions and Performance at the State Level

Abstract

This empirical study tests how dimensions of national culture affect entrepreneurs' collective perceptions of the business environment and the performances of newly created firms in the United States. The data are aggregated to the state level from survey responses of 3,619 preventure clients of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program. Dimensions of culture examined include region, urbanization, nativity, ethnic mix, and family involvement. Results indicate that only family involvement has a consistent impact on the perceptions and performance of new ventures in the sample.