Our Research: Fair Competition
There is a growing unlevel playing field between small and large companies, as underregulated technology platforms, corporate consolidations and pernicious business practices dramatically restrict markets and stifle competition. Our research examines how small businesses are being impacted by anti-competitive business practices and their views on policy solutions to level the playing field.
Over the past several months, Small Business Majority hosted five roundtable discussions with nearly 50 small business owners in Cortland, Long Island, Queens and Manhattan focusing on many of the biggest challenges small businesses are facing today, including rising healthcare costs, unpredictable tariffs, rising inflation and unaffordable living, difficulty accessing capital, workforce shortages and childcare access. The entrepreneurs also shared how running a business in 2026 can require mental and physical sacrifice as these challenges continue to escalate.
This national opinion poll of likely voters, conducted for Small Business Majority by Lake Research Partners, reveals overwhelming bipartisan support for small businesses and pro-small business policies. Voters believe by dramatic margins that the success of small business is better for their families and the economy than the success of large corporations, and it’s personally important to them that local small businesses in their communities thrive.
Small businesses are navigating a sharp squeeze on Main Street, according to Small Business Majority’s latest Voice of Main Street poll released on March 25, 2026. Most entrepreneurs report rising expenses alongside falling revenues, with costs driven by tariffs, healthcare premiums, utilities, and supplies. At the same time, many say weak consumer demand, difficulty meeting payroll, and concerns about corporate consolidation are limiting growth and forcing tough choices—from raising prices to delaying hiring and investment.
With key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set to expire this year, Congress must decide how it wants to move forward when it comes to the tax code. This is notable because any potential changes to our tax system would have a profound impact on small businesses.
A new opinion poll of small business owners nationwide reveals that our nation’s entrepreneurs are being harmed by non-compete agreements, and they strongly support the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) proposed rule to ban them in most instances. The poll reveals that nearly 6 in 10 small businesses support the FTC ban.
Underregulated technology platforms, corporate consolidations and pernicious business practices are fueling an increasingly uneven level playing field between small and large companies by dramatically restricting markets and stifling competition. These challenges have been exacerbated during the pandemic as small businesses pivot their businesses to stay afloat, and thousands of people launched new entrepreneurial endeavors. A new opinion poll reveals that our nation’s entrepreneurs are being harmed by myriad anti-competitive practices, and they strongly support policies to create a more equitable business landscape.
As lawmakers in Washington consider a robust budget reconciliation package to invest in “human infrastructure” and debate how to pay for this plan, Small Business Majority surveyed small business owners and managers of operations at small businesses around the country to better understand their views on our tax system, as well as their opinions on tax policies that have been proposed to offset the costs of the human infrastructure plan.
The White House's $2 trillion proposed American Jobs Plan—an infrastructure reform plan—continues to be hotly debated on Capitol Hill, and proposals to pay for infrastructure investments via tax reforms are some of the most contested pieces of the plan. A new small business survey reveals that small businesses strongly favor key provisions of the American Jobs Plan, and they support paying for them by enacting reforms that would require wealthy corporations and individuals to pay a higher share of taxes.
