Entrepreneur surveyed 500 small business owners across the country to ask them what they thought about their corporations and current events.
Most respondents expressed deep interest in the presidential election: a majority (81%) said they follow the news closely, and 45% said they monitor it day by day. However, only 40% actually consider and expect that the policies of the next president will have a positive impact on their businesses.
In fact, 39% of small business owners do not believe it everyone helpful policies might be passed next 12 months — and 15% of Democrats and Republicans say the government’s policies do nothing to enhance their economic situation. (Independents were much more pessimistic, with 29% saying the government can’t help them.)
That pessimism could also be fueled by the economy as a whole: A majority of respondents (70%) say they fear the U.S. will enter a recession inside the next two years. In fact, stressed entrepreneurs lose an average of seven hours of sleep per week worrying about the health of their businesses.
So where do small business owners feel optimistic? Interestingly, the answer lies in something policymakers are currently discussing in terms of regulation: artificial intelligence.
The majority (74%) of small business owners are optimistic about AI, with 28% believing AI helps them be more efficient, 27% believing AI will create recent business opportunities, and 19% believing AI saves them money.
AI optimism runs counter to generational differences: 84% of millennial business owners consider AI may also help their business in some way, in comparison with only 46% of baby boomer business owners.
As AI has turn into more vital, other parts of the web have begun to alter: Google is adjusting its algorithms to favor forums like Reddit and Quora, X (formerly Twitter) is prioritizing viral videos, and more. While this has some impact on small business owners, 60% say these changes haven’t significantly affected their business.
EntrepreneurThe survey of 500 small business owners was conducted in cooperation with Talker’s Research in August. To see the full results of our study, click Here.