Our Research
Introduction
America’s small business owners are doing all they can to outlast the condition of today’s economy. These hardworking employers know they need the right kind of help if they are to thrive. That’s why they believe immediate action is necessary to form bold clean energy policies that will prompt innovation, and in effect, stimulate small business and the economy.
In this tough economy, small business owners struggle just to keep their doors open, let alone turn a profit and create jobs.
In March 2011, Small Business Majority and Pacific Community Ventures (PCV) released the results of a survey, commissioned by PCV, of 804 California small business owners with fewer than 20 employees on key provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
Small Business Majority released a national survey of 619 small business owners in January 2011 to gauge how entrepreneurs view two critical components of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: healthcare tax credits and insurance exchanges.
California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, commonly referred to as AB 32, calls for substantial reductions in the state’s carbon emissions. The impact it will have on the economy, and particularly on small businesses, has spurred tremendous debate as the law is being implemented.
The Clean Air Act is one of the nation's most important environmental laws. It directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and enforce regulations addressing a wide range of air quality problems and challenges. However, the EPA’s authority has come under threat from members of Congress that would limit the Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Small business owners in Massachusetts strongly believe the country needs to move toward clean energy and that new energy policies will transform the economy and help them create new jobs. They support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation currently being discussed in the US Senate.
Small Business Majority and Main Street Alliance commissioned opinion surveys of small business owners in 7 states across the country to learn their attitudes toward the clean energy bill being debated in Washington. The poll showed that among small businesses, there is strong support for the clean energy and climate legislation currently being debated; small businesses believe that moving the country to clean energy is a smart way to restart the economy and help small businesses create jobs. A majority of those polled want their business to be part of a new clean energy economy.
Small businesses are the backbone of America’s economy. Across the country, there are nearly 4.8 million businesses that employ 25 or fewer workers. They’re your local diner, the hardware store down the street, and the mechanic in your neighborhood.