o	The lack of a social safety net (compared with Europe) rated a marginally negative mean of 2; 22% reckoned it fosters innovation, but 35% rated it as inhibiting.
o	Similarly, Americans’ relative isolation and inward focus was marginally negative (mean of 2.9; 21% saw it fostering innovation, but 33% saw it as inhibiting.
o	The much-discussed political polarization of the U.S. into red and blue states is seen as more strongly negative (mean of 2.7), with 15% seeing it as fostering innovation but 33% rating it as inhibiting.
o	The most negative factor on the list was fear of failure (mean of 2.7), which 22% rated as fostering innovation but 47% rated as inhibiting it.

A couple of factors were seen as having a net neutral effect:

o	U.S. military spending netted out at 3.0 with 36% reckoning it fostered innovation and 31% rating it inhibiting. On this point, men were positive and women were negative (3.2 vs. 2.9).
o	Americans’ willingness to take on high levels of debt also netted out neutral (3.0) with 35% seeing it as fostering and 36% as inhibiting.

Factors having a net positive effect were a mixture of cultural and financial, although the top one was interactive technology (Internet, cell phones) netting 3.9, with 72% rating it fostering innovation and just 5% seeing it as inhibiting.

Cultural factors emerged as more strongly beneficial than financial factors.

o	Individual competitiveness netted a high mean of 3.9 (71% fosters vs. 6% inhibits) and competition between universities netted out at 3.7 (62% fosters vs. 7% inhibits).
o	The celebrated American can-do mentality also rates 3.9 (67% fosters, 5% inhibits).
o	The American tradition of innovation netted out very positively with a mean of 3.8 (64% fosters, 4% inhibits), and American business culture emerged with a mean of 3.5 (54% fosters vs. 15% inhibits).
o	Media attention for successful innovators rated an overall 3.7 mean, but with a clear difference between men and women. Men rated it 3.6 (56% fosters, 9% inhibits), but women rated it a stronger 3.8 (62% fosters, 6% inhibits).

Financial factors certainly showed up strongly, but less strongly than the cultural factors.

o	The possibility of striking it rich and keeping the money was at the top of the financial factors, with a mean of 3.8 (64% fosters vs. 10% inhibits).
o	Tax breaks are definitively rated net positive with a mean of 3.5 (51% fosters vs. 12% inhibits), and stock options are not far behind with a mean of 3.4 (40% fosters vs. 12% inhibits).