- Paychex, a leading provider of HR, payroll, benefits, and insurance solutions, surveyed 500 business owners with 500 employees or less to gain insights around issues that are more important
Paychex — a leading provider of HR, payroll, benefits, and insurance solutions — recently surveyed 500 business owners with 500 employees or less to gain better insights around the issues that are more important to their organizations as they prepare to go to the polls in November.
Most business owners surveyed (72%) are experiencing growth and increased their profits since 2018. But the economy remains top of mind as Election Day approaches.
These are the top issues for business owners based on the survey:
1.) The economy (95% ranked it at least “somewhat important”)
2.) Taxes (90%)
3.) Healthcare (76%)
4.) Tariffs/trade policies (67%)
5.) Immigration (60%)
6.) Gun policy (56%)
7.) Opioid crisis (55%)
8.) Climate change (54%)
9.) Income inequality (54%)
“Every business is unique, but the issues that keep business owners up at night are often universal… The economy, taxes, and healthcare have historically been significant areas of focus for legislators and business owners alike and will clearly remain a priority during this election cycle,” said Paychex president and CEO Martin Mucci. “As November approaches, Paychex will continue to remain on top of these issues and how they may affect our 670,000 customers, helping them navigate the impacts they may have now or in the future.”
It’s worth mentioning that the most important issue among respondents varies depending on age. And business owners ages 39-54 and 55+ both ranked the economy as their top “very important” issue at 77% and 63%, respectfully. And business owners ages 18-38 prioritized healthcare with 49% saying it’s “very important” followed closely by the economy at 46%.
The fourth overall issue is tariffs/trade policies with 67% saying this matter is at least “somewhat important.” But businesses in the manufacturing sector placed a higher level of importance on this issue with 80% saying it’s at least “somewhat important” to them heading into the election season. And the same can be said for businesses in the Midwest at 78%.
These current survey results align with the issues prioritized by business owners ahead of the 2016 election as well. For example, the most important issues to this group of voters were also the economy, taxes, and healthcare as of four years ago.
The survey was fielded and administered online by third-party research firm Bredin between November 11, 2019 and November 27, 2019. And the results yielded a +/- 4% margin of error.
