Amway, the world's largest direct selling business, has published the Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report 2013 (AGER), a major global report that studied people's attitudes toward self-employment, revealing important information about global views toward self-employment worldwide, including specific insights on the United States.

Released during Global Entrepreneurship Week, a global celebration of innovators and job creators, AGER 2013 aims to understand what drives entrepreneurship all over the world.

Some key findings among those surveyed in the U.S. and relating to the U.S. market include:

• Of the 24 countries polled, the U.S. ranks as the most entrepreneurship-friendly country.
• While more than two-thirds of the people globally polled said that "fear of failure" was their number one obstacle to starting a business, 62% of the people polled in the U.S. are not afraid to fail, the highest percentage globally.
• Four out of ten Americans can imagine starting their own business.
• The most appealing component for self-employment in the U.S. is not financial profit, but gaining "independence from an employer and being one's own boss."
• Americans think that "entrepreneurship, education and teaching of business skills" are indispensable to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

In partnership with the United States Chamber of Commerce, Amway will host a panel discussion on "The Future of Entrepreneurship in America and Abroad," today in Washington, D.C., which will explore this year's findings and their application to public policy and debate. To view the conference webcast replay, please click here.

For the fourth consecutive year, Amway partnered with the Technische Universitat Munchen and GfK, one of the world's leading research companies, to publish the report.  More than 26,000 people in 24 countries, aged 14-99, were surveyed through telephone and face-to-face interviews on the subject of entrepreneurship. While the report affirms that entrepreneurial spirit is still strong in the U.S., participants around the world identified education, training, financing options and government and familial support as crucial requirements to encourage independent business ownership and entrepreneurship.

"The Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report identified key distinctions in the way Americans view entrepreneurship today," said Steve Van Andel, Chairman of Amway and the United States Chamber of Commerce. "It showed that while the American Dream is still very much alive, it needs to be tended to with greater care in order to take root as a way of life for future generations."

"The 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Report aims to understand what drives entrepreneurship all over the world and to facilitate a growth in self-employment, by stimulating a discussion between local governments, thought leaders and entrepreneurs," said Prof. Dr. Isabell M. Welpe, Director from the TUM University of Munich. "This study can be used to help shape the way educators, politicians and small business leaders engage and interact with the public to achieve successful outcomes in strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit globally."

Amway has been collecting and analyzing data in relation to entrepreneurship on a regular basis since 2008. In 2013, the survey was extended to 24 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Japan and Australia. These results reflect the U.S. findings from AGER 2013. Come early 2014, further results will be revealed from Mexico and Colombia.

"Amway has always been an advocate for free enterprise and is dedicated to inspiring generations of Americans to become entrepreneurs," continues Van Andel. "We look forward to this important conversation and the renewed focus on ensuring the entrepreneurial spirit remains a vital part of our culture/economy."