WASHINGTON — A significant number of America's blacks dream of owning their own businesses rather than joining a law firm, a medical practice or a corporation, a poll shows.

        More than two-thirds of those surveyed said they would like to be entrepreneurs, one sign of economic optimism found in the National Urban League's annual review of black America.

        The survey, set for release Wednesday, finds many blacks believe rap musicians are bad role models. A majority said they are unconcerned about getting AIDS.

        Despite the enthusiasm for business ownership, only 10 percent of the respondents now work for themselves.

        The number of minority owned businesses increased in the 1990s, to 2.8 million, or 15 percent of U.S. businesses in 1997, according to census data. The 30 percent growth rate outpaced the 7 percent increase for all businesses over a five-year period, though they did not do as well financially.

        “In 1960 you would have said, "I could run a barbershop, a corner grocery store.' (Now) there are opportunities that did not exist in the 1960s at all,” said William Spriggs, director of the Urban League's Institute for Opportunity and Equality.

        But he warned, “The door is cracked; it's not wide open.”

        Nearly three-fourths of those surveyed said they are better off than their parents. Forty percent said affirmative action played an important role in their success.

        Top concerns of those polled were racism and jobs (21 percent each), education (11 percent), unity (7 percent) and crime (6 percent). They also mentioned fears about drugs and police brutality. Almost three-fourths said the criminal justice system is biased against blacks.

        The telephone poll of 800 black adults, by Blum & Weprin Associates Inc. of New York, was taken April 1-17 and had an error margin of 3.5 percentage points.

        Blacks of all ages gave rap artists a bad rating. Seventy-six percent said the musicians were not good role models. Mr. Spriggs said blacks don't like the image perpetuated by rap artists.

        Urban League president Hugh B. Price said the report, done annually since 1976, indicated an emphasis on economics. Sixty percent said black organizations should concentrate on improving blacks' economic opportunities.

        Mr. Price said the poll shows more needs to be done to educate blacks about AIDS. More than 70 percent said they were not very worried about contracting it. That's worrisome, he said, because one in 50 black men and one in 160 women have HIV.

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