Weekly Pulse Polling: During the Last Month, 72% of Americans Have Shopped at Small Businesses

Washington, D.C. (May 9, 2019) – This week is National Small Business Week—a tradition that has carried on for more than 50 years. In conjunction with the weeklong celebration, Job Creators Network/ScottRasmussen.com Weekly Pulse polling found that 72 percent of Americans have shopped at a small business during the previous month. Additionally nine out of ten respondents view small businesses favorably.

Interestingly, data that shows the strong economy is specifically benefiting minorities—notably that African- and Hispanic-American unemployment rates have hit or are nearing all-time lows—is reflective of entrepreneurial ambitions. According to the polling, more than half of African- and Hispanic-Americans would like to become a small business owner in the future.

Weekly questions revealed:

• 90 percent of respondents view small businesses favorably.
• 72 percent of respondents have shopped at a small business at least once during the last 30 days.
• While only a quarter of respondents overall say they want to start a small business in the future, 51 percent of African-Americans and 53 percent of Hispanic-Americans have that aspiration.

“During this weeklong celebration of entrepreneurs, it’s very clear that small businesses are very popular among Americans,” said Elaine Parker, President of the Job Creators Network Foundation. “Not only do Americans view small businesses favorably, but they frequently put their money where their mouth is—spending their paycheck at small enterprises. It’s also encouraging to see that the minority groups who are especially benefiting from this robust economy have entrepreneurial ambitions for the future, which will further spur progress.”

Read Elaine Parker’s most recent op-ed on National Small Business Week here.

When asked about the economy, 17 percent of respondents rated the economy as “excellent,” which is an uptick from the 13 percent who said the same last week. Overall, 84 percent of respondents rated the economy as either “excellent,” “good” (39%), or “fair” (32%). Only 14% rated America’s economy as “poor.”

“Optimism in the economy is holding strong—mirroring the latest jobs day report released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” commented pollster Scott Rasmussen. “In a number we haven’t seen since the beginning of November, only 20 percent of Americans believe the economy is on the downswing; while nearly double that proportion believe the economy to be improving.”

Other economic polling questions this week included:

How would you rate the US economy today? Excellent (17%), Good (38%), Fair (28%), Poor (12%), Not sure (4%).

Is the economy getting better or worse? Better (39%), Worse (20%), About the same (33%), Not sure (8%).

Okay, how would you rate your own personal finances these days?  Excellent (12%), Good (39%), Fair (31%), Poor (15%), Not sure (3%).

Are your personal finances getting better or worse? Better (28%), Worse (17%), About the same (52%), Not sure (4%).

Are companies in your area more likely to be hiring new workers or laying off existing workers? Hiring new workers (44%), Laying off existing workers (18%), Not sure (37%).

For historic data on these economic questions visit: JCNPulse.com

Download full crosstabs on all this week’s questions:

https://polls.jcnf.org/app/uploads/2019/05/JCN-Crosstabs-May-6-7-2019.xlsx

This ScottRasmussen.com/HarrisX poll of 1,113 US adults was conducted May 6-7, 2019. For more information about the Job Creators Network, please visit www.JobCreatorsNetwork.com.