Should businesses do more to help society rather than aiming purely for profit? I'm going to make an assumption here and say that if you are reading the Guardian's coverage of social enterprise, you're very likely to answer yes to this question.
In which case, you'll be glad to know that 78% of the British public agree with you. That figure – announced for the first time today – is from a UK-wide survey we recently commissioned as part of the launch of our Big Venture Challenge competition.
While we were pleased that such a huge majority agree with us, we know that recent years have seen a real shift on this issue towards greater public awareness of the potential of social entrepreneurship, so we weren't surprised.
But now let me ask you another question. If someone gave you some help – perhaps access to some starting capital, or business advice – would you take the plunge and become a social entrepreneur in your own right?
We asked this question to a representative sample of more than 1,200 people across the UK. To our surprise just under 33% – one third of the all the people asked – responded with a solid yes.
This is an astounding figure – but of course only part of the story. Of the 16 million potential social entrepreneurs this represents (taking it as a percentage of the UK adult population), we can imagine that only a fraction would take a step towards making that a reality. Of that fraction, fewer still have the combination of imagination, experience, practicality and determination to establish a successful social venture.
But even so, that fraction of a fraction represents a tremendous interest across the nation in making a real, lasting change to the lives of people in the UK.
For those of us already part of the world of social enterprise, this means three things.
First, we have a responsibility to spread the word. Tell people – even the most unlikely people, in the most unlikely places – that social entrepreneurship works, that it can make a difference, that if you have a good idea then the help is out there to take it forward.
Secondly, take heart. What our survey shows is that not only are people supportive of our goals, but they are willing to get involved. That means existing social entrepreneurs should look to scale up: take existing local schemes and turn them national, find ways to magnify good ideas and increase the number of people who benefit from them.
Thirdly, take action. For the first time, funding specifically designed for social entrepreneurs looking to scale up is available via the Big Venture Challenge (applications open till end June) – and many other such schemes can also help with funding and support. What this survey shows is that the potential for change could be bigger than many of us imagined, and that social entrepreneurship is only growing. What better time to seize your moment?
Cliff Prior is the chief executive of UnLtd
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