By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-15 03:39:32 | Updated at 2024-12-15 05:58:33
2 hours ago
Following Donald Trump's November victory, small business owners are feeling more hopeful than they have in years, a new poll shows.
Job Creators Network Foundation (JCNF) regularly surveys 400 small business owners to glean how they feel about economic and policy issues in the news.
The results reveal that small business owners' feelings about the U.S. economy has hit its highest level since July 2021.
It found that more than six in 10 small business owners are optimistic that the incoming Trump administration will be positive for Main Street.
The survey also revealed that these owners voted for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by a whopping margin.
They backed Trump 51 percent to Harris' 34 percent, a giant 17-point margin, the survey found.
Additionally, the business owners shared their top three priorities for Trump's next term, many of them similar to his various campaign promises.
They are, in order, securing the border, balancing the budget and making Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which expires at the end of 2025, permanent.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a Time magazine Person of the Year event at the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. A new poll from JCNF found that a majority of small business owners voted for Trump and are hopeful about how his second term will impact their companies
Donald Trump works behind the counter during a visit to McDonalds in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, U.S. October 20, 2024
Donald Trump talks as he visits Sprankle's Neighborhood Market in Kittanning, Pa., a family owned business
If the TCJA is allowed to expire, however, 37 percent of respondents would consider delaying or cutting back on growth operations while 24 percent indicated they would cut employee hours, the survey found.
'The small business community is obviously excited about what the incoming Trump administration could mean for the economy,' JCNF President Elaine Parker told DailyMail.com in a statement.
'It will be a breath of fresh air following four years of policies that have thrown cold water on small business hiring and expansion.'
'Hopefully, the incoming White House and its allies in Congress can meet the moment by delivering policy victories ranging from making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent to cutting government red tape.'
The November survey's findings largely keep in line with their polls from just months before the election.
In September, former President Trump held a 12-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris among small businesses nationwide, per another JCNF poll.
Specifically, 51 percent of employers responded to the survey saying the ex-president will do a better job helping small businesses while 39 percent said Harris.
Comparing the November and September's results, Trump's support among small business owners stayed the same, while enthusiasm for Harris bottomed out.
Donald Trump visits Sprankle's Neighborhood Market where he talked to the business' owners
Vice President Kamala Harris holds a bag of Doritos chips as Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz looks on at Sheetz convenience store during a campaign stop
The Democrat's support notably fell 5 percent from September to November, from 39 percent indicating they would vote for her to just 34 percent saying they actually did vote for Harris.
Tackling persistent inflation, lessening the cost of everyday goods and improving the economy were all top concerns among voters this last cycle.
In fact, a survey from Gallup found that the economy was the single most important issue in the 2024 election.
That poll revealed that the importance of the economy among voters was its highest since the Great Recession in 2008.
