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Interest in Starting and Closing a Business: Google Searches in the COVID-19 Context

Given the rapid and widespread changes in the economy due to COVID-19, internet searches may offer some insight into how people are thinking about their current economic situation. This brief looks at trends in Google searches related to entrepreneurship.

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Examine search trends associated with three topics – new business help, new business exits, and new business opportunities – from January 2019 to April 29, 2020, to get a sense of relative interest during “normal” conditions and in the COVID-19 context.

Featured highlights:

  • Between January 1, 2019, and April 29, 2020, interest in Google searches related to new business help was highest in the weeks of March 16, March 30, and April 20, 2020, respectively.
  • Over the same period, interest in Google searches related to new business exit was highest during the week of March 16, 2020.
  • Interest in Google Searches for open a business, new self-employed, and new small business was highest in the week of March 23, 2020, and interest in searches for independent contractor and how to work for yourself were highest in the weeks of March 30 and April 13, 2020, respectively.
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