Americans aren't as entrepreneurial as they used to be, according to two new studies.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that only 6.9 percent of Americans were involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity last year, down from 10.6 percent four years earlier. The only increase in activity in 2009 came from necessity-driven entrepreneurs - those who started a business because they needed a job, not because they saw new opportunities.

That's not a good sign for an innovation-driven economy, according to researchers at Babson College and Baruch College, which conducted the study.

Meanwhile, a study by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy ranked America No. 3 in the world in entrepreneurship, behind Denmark and Canada. The study compared the United States with 70 other countries on entrepreneurial attitudes, activity and aspirations.

The United States is No. 1 on entrepreneurial aspirations - the degree to which entrepreneurial activity is directed toward innovation, high growth and globalization. But it's only No. 6 on entrepreneurial attitudes - how the general population thinks about entrepreneurs, opportunity potential and the risk of failure.

It's No. 8 on entrepreneurial activity, defined by this study as new technology firms created to respond to business opportunities in a competitive environment.

The relatively low score on entrepreneurial activity is "a surprise and a possible cause for concern," said study authors Zoltan Acs and Laszlo Szerb.

Technology, which once powered entrepreneurship in the United States, is now a "weak spot," the study concludes.

"It is not just that the rest of the world has caught up; the United States seems to have abandoned this sector," Acs and Szerb wrote.

Also, large companies account for an increasing share of business activity.

"This had made it harder for new businesses to get started and for existing ones to prosper," the study concluded.

The United States needs to encourage more startups in the tech sector and encourage more individuals to start firms with high-growth potential, according to the study.

"The United States does not simply need more new businesses; it needs more highly productive ventures," the study concludes.

Cultural support for entrepreneurship isn't as strong as one might think. As America's population ages, it becomes more risk-averse, the study found. Few young people view entrepreneurship as a good career option. The odds that the average American personally knows an entrepreneur "is no more likely than in a developing country," the study found.

For more information, see www.gemconsortium.org or www.sba.gov/advo

Small-business pointers up slightly but still low

A monthly index of small-business indicators improved slightly in August but remained at a recession-like level, according to a survey of National Federation of Independent Business members.

NFIB's index of Small Business Optimism gained 0.7 points to 88.8, as expectations about the economy improved. More business owners, however, still think the economy will be worse six months from now than better.

They're evenly split on whether their own sales will improve.

"Consumers are pessimistic, business owners are pessimistic, and Washington's leadership has been unable to inspire any confidence in the future," said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.

President Barack Obama has proposed another round of tax incentives for business investment, but NFIB found that 73 percent of small-business owners think now is not a good time to expand.

Profits are down at most small businesses surveyed.

"Until earnings improve, small-business owners are unlikely to invest in new hires or new equipment," Dunkelberg said.

For more information, see www.nfib.com

Execs named to board that promote U.S. travel

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke went to Disney World and Las Vegas, via Amtrak and United Airlines, to fill board positions on the new Corporation for Travel Promotion.

The corporation will promote the United States as a tourist destination and work to make the entry process easier for international visitors. Half of its up to $200 million in funding will come from the tourism industry, and half will come from a new $14 fee imposed on foreign travelers to the United States.

Locke appointed 11 tourism industry officials to the corporation's board. The appointees included Al Weiss, president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in Orlando; Stephen Cloobeck, chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International in Las Vegas; David Lim, chief marketing officer for Amtrak in Washington, D.C.; and Mark Schwab, a senior vice president at United Airlines in Chicago.

The travel and tourism industry supports 8.2 million U.S. jobs and accounts for 8 percent of U.S. exports. Industry officials hope those numbers will grow now that America is following other countries' lead and will actively promote itself as a tourist destination.

"This partnership between the travel industry and government will finally reverse the declines we have seen in overseas visitation to our country since 9/11," said Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels and chairman emeritus of the U.S. Travel Association.

For more information, see www.commerce.gov

Administration offers students lessons in financial skills

The Obama administration hopes 87,000 high school students will participate in the National Financial Capability Challenge this school year.

That goal is 15 percent higher than the number of students who participated last year. The Treasury Department program provides teachers with lesson plans on teaching high school students about savings, budgeting, investing, use of credit and other financial skills. A voluntary online exam will be administered in March and April, and top scorers will receive awards.

"The recent financial crisis taught us an enduring lesson," said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. "Financial literacy is essential not only to the financial security of millions of American families but also to the economic health of our nation as a whole."

Under financial regulatory reform, an Office of Financial Education will be established at the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

But is the federal government in any position to teach financial skills? Maybe not budgeting. The government ran up a $91 billion deficit in August alone, according to the Treasury Department, bringing this fiscal year's red ink to $1.26 trillion with one month to go.

For more information, see www.challenge.treas.gov

Kent Hoover: khoover@bizjournals.com