National Write Your Congressman (NWYC), an organization that gives small businesses a voice in American government, finds in its Q2 2019 Quarterly Index trust, hope and satisfaction in U.S. Congress has increased since last quarter, and has more than doubled since the 2016 election.
NWYC’s Quarterly Index measures small business owner sentiment towards Congress and their top concerns for their business and legislative issues. The Q2 Index found small business owners are most concerned with hiring qualified workers, immigration and taxes. Business owners remain most hopeful and satisfied in the president but less hopeful in Congress, state and local government and national government agencies.
“As we look to the 2020 election, business owners want more action from Congress and legislation that will affect their business and the overall economy positively,” said Randy Ford, President and COO of National Write Your Congressman. “As Congress works to make changes before the next election, our members will continue using their voice in Washington and are hopeful they are impacting change.”
The NWYC Index Score, which takes into account six factors measuring small business owners’ trust, hope and satisfaction towards Congress and government, has decreased since the election but has remained higher than before the 2016 election.
Issues that were most important to business owners as they consider how they will vote in the 2020 election are jobs and the economy, immigration, healthcare and tariffs and trade.
“I have been in business for 35 years and this is the best economy we have ever seen. All of our employees are making 20 percent more today than they did two years ago. All of our employees are on bonus programs that involve sales numbers and profit margins so when the company does well, we all do well,” said Marvin Boedeker, President of Boedeker Plastics, Inc.
Thirty-six percent of business owners surveyed believe that their own members of Congress act according to their constituents’ opinion and more than half of business owners surveyed agree their own elected members of Congress know their opinion on important issues.
“Hope and satisfaction in Congress has remained steady despite current events and the economic environment, and our members are confident their own member of Congress knows their opinion and works for them and their business,” said Ford. “We are seeing business owners from across the country use their tax returns to give back to their employees and pay down debt, as they realize action from Congress positively helps their business.”
“Since the election of President Trump with his cuts to regulations as well as tax cuts, we have practically doubled the size of our business. We went from 21 employees in Jan 2017 to 45 employees currently, opened a third location, built an accounting office and practically doubled our sales. We have paid off many vehicles as well as notes and within the next year I believe we will be debt free other than normal operating expenses,” said Roger Barnhart, Owner, Barnhart Bolt & Special Fasteners, Inc. “I believe if our current Legislators in both parties would work together, we could do even better in the coming years.”
“With the current tax cuts, as a business, I was able to hire more people and purchase more equipment and I am looking to physically grow our business next year,” said Danielle Brecheen, General Manager, Brecheen Pipe & Steel Co, LLC.
NWYC provides members with non-partisan information and research along with the tools they can use to connect with their representatives in Washington and advocate for the policies and actions that will help their small businesses be successful for their families, their employees and their communities.
Methodology
NWYC’s Index on the Sentiment of Small Business Owners towards Congress is based on data collected using an online survey administered May 30 through June 10, 2019. A total of 959 respondents participated. Respondents represent 43 of the 50 states in the U.S. Fifty-eight percent of business owners surveyed employ 1-9 employees and 40 percent employ 10-99 employees. The predominant industries represented are construction, services, automotive repair, health, legal, accounting, engineering, advertising, education, manufacturing, agriculture, and retail trade. To view the full report, visit https://www.nwyc.com/publication/small_business_quarterly_index/articles.
About National Write Your Congressman
National Write Your Congressman (NWYC) is an organization that gives small businesses a voice in American government. As the nation’s largest, privately held, nonpartisan membership organization made up of small businesses, NWYC is dedicated to the delivery of constituent opinions to representatives in Washington. For 60 years, NWYC has provided small business owners and operators the tools necessary to connect with members of Congress and a platform to let their collective voice be heard. NWYC’s team of experts provides unbiased, nonpartisan information and research on top issues and pending legislation relevant to small business owners today. NWYC presents both sides of the issue so that members can form an educated opinion and let their opinions be heard. For more information, visit: www.nwyc.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190626005206/en/
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