Volume 1 Cedric - revised luca Final - RUIG-GIAN

5. Small entrepreneurs profile with a focuson youth5.1. Methodology and data baseThis section is based on three small surveys of small project entrepreneurs (cf. Annex3: Questionnaires). An extensive questionnaire was distributed to obtain basic informationon small private activity. A brief questionnaire was also distributed along with a checklistof “traditional” work fields for women to explore popular areas of activity among womenand traditional segments of women’s private sector participation, in order to acquire anunderstanding on women’s social inclinations as far as employment. A last questionnaireexplored men’s and women’s stance towards women’s economic activity.The SME samples were randomly selected from across many economic sectorswithout bias to the most successful ones. According to the objectives of the survey, 75 percent of the sample was 20-to-30 years old. Twenty-eight per cent of the respondents wereuniversity graduates and 20 per cent had intermediate and primary school education; theremaining percentages can be attributed to those respondents with institute and high schooleducation.A total number of 50 extensive survey questionnaires were received from Baghdadand 30 from Al-Najaf. 30 questionnaires for women’s activity and 20 table formsexploring additional types of labour activity were collected.The majority of respondents were also interviewed for further details and closerinsights on the environment, difficulties and nature of their projects. Further interviews anddiscussions with civil society government authorities were also conducted. Over onehundred interviews were held during the course of this study over the period fromDecember 2004 to April 2005.A number of difficulties were encountered during the distribution of questionnairesand in the interviews. Some respondents were hesitant to disclose information related tothe nature of their work and income out of fear that leaks of this information nature mightlead to criminal acts against themselves or their enterprises, a fact that in itself is revealingof the environment in which entrepreneurs operate today in Iraq.5.2. A profiling of entrepreneursThe surveys attempted to outline small entrepreneurs’ general conceptions as far asentrepreneurship, their qualifications, the origins of their projects and their family andsocial backgrounds. The surveys also attempted to highlight major difficulties they face(d)and their success stories.The main findings are synthesised below:Business idea: when asked about the source of their project idea, 50 per cent ofrespondents indicated that it was their own, while the others were taken from successfulprojects they had learned about.69