Forty-six percent of small businesses believe America's best days are behind it, according to a recent small business opinion poll.
Conducted by ORC International for Employers Holdings, Inc., Reno, Nev. (NYSE: EIG), a small business insurance specialist firm, the telephone survey polled 501 owners or managers of small businesses with 1-99 full-time employees.
The poll reports a similarly negative sentiment among small business owners about Washington, D.C.
Eighty-two percent of the respondents agree the federal government should "get out of their way" and 72% say that federal taxation, regulation and legislation make hiring employees more difficult.
Though many small business decision-makers are pessimistic about the U.S. economy and legislation coming out of Washington D.C., they maintain a much more positive outlook about their individual circumstances: Sixty-five percent believe their businesses are headed in the right direction.
The poll also found that only 39% of small businesses believe their best days are behind them compared to the 46% who believe the national economy's best days are behind it.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.