Poll: Small Business Owners and Potential Buyers Approve of Trump's Presidency

New BizBuySell survey reveals the small business community agree with many of Trump's plans

SAN FRANCISCO – February 27, 2017 - BizBuySell , the Internet's largest business-for-sale marketplace, surveyed more than 700 small business owners and prospective buyers to determine approval of Trump's presidency since he took office as well as how the proposed plans could impact small business success. In two separate surveys, as outlined below, BizBuySell found small businesses continue to support the Trump administration's decisions thus far.

Small business owner survey (446 respondents):

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?

• Approve - 47%
• Disapprove - 30%
• No opinion - 23%

Top three issues small business owners would like President Trump to address:

• Healthcare - 44%
• Tax reform – 43%
• Jobs – 30%

Are you in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act?

• Yes - 60%
• No - 40%

Top three aspects of the ACA small business owners would most like to see repealed:

• The individual mandate to own insurance or pay the penalty – 51%
• The mandate requiring companies with more than 50 employees to provide insurance for their employees – 33%
• Government subsidies to individuals and families to make health insurance more affordable – 34%

Top three aspects of the ACA small business owners would most like to remain:

• Banning the denial of health coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions – 55%
• The right to keep children on their parents’ insurance plans up until the age of 26 – 53%
• Prohibiting insurers from charging women higher rates than men for the same services – 42%

Has your local community or state raised the minimum wage within the past five years?

• Yes - 53%
• No - 30%
• Unsure - 17%

Are you in favor of raising the federal minimum wage?

• Yes - 47%
• No - 40%
• No opinion - 13%

Would you be more or less likely to sell your business due to higher minimum wages?

• More likely to sell – 23%
• Less likely to sell – 6%
• No effect on my plans to sell – 71%

The Dodd-Frank Act is a U.S. federal law that places regulation of the financial industry in the hands of the government. How do you believe the Dodd-Frank Act affects small business lending by banks?

• Limits lending – 47%
• Encourages lending – 11%
• No opinion - 42%

Are you in favor of President Trump’s plan to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Act?

• Yes - 39%
• No - 24%
• No opinion - 37%

How do you feel about the current number of regulations on small businesses?

• There are currently too many regulations on small businesses – 79%
• There are currently too few regulations on small businesses – 2%
• There are currently the right amount of regulations on small businesses – 19%

Do you agree or disagree with the Executive Order that President Trump signed blocking refugees and banning people from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S.?

• Agree - 51%
• Disagree - 34%
• No opinion - 15%

Are you in favor of Trump’s plan to build a wall along the Mexican border?

• Yes - 46%
• No - 41%
• No opinion - 13%

Are you in favor of Trump’s plans to renegotiate trade deals (i.e. NAFTA)?

• Yes - 66%
• No - 18%
• No opinion - 16%

Would you be more or less likely to sell your business if Trump renegotiated trade deals (i.e. NAFTA)?

• More likely to sell – 4%
• Less likely to sell – 5%
• No effect on my plans to sell –91%

Small business buyer survey (264 respondents):

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?

• Approve - 40%
• Disapprove - 31%
• No opinion - 29%

Top three issues small business buyers would like President Trump to address:

• Healthcare - 42%
• Tax reform – 37%
• Jobs – 36%

Are you in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act?

• Yes - 60%
• No - 40%

How has the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) impacted your plans to buy a business?

• More likely to buy – 13%
• Less likely to buy –23%
• The ACA hasn’t impacted my plans to buy –64%

Top three aspects of the ACA small business buyers would most like to see repealed:

• The individual mandate to own insurance or pay the penalty – 50%
• None – 27%
• Government subsidies to individuals and families to make health insurance more affordable – 26%

Top three aspects of the ACA small business owners would most like to remain:

• Banning the denial of health coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions – 60%
• The right to keep children on their parents’ insurance plans up until the age of 26 – 58%
• Prohibiting insurers from charging women higher rates than men for the same services – 46%

Has your local community or state raised the minimum wage within the past five years?

• Yes - 39%
• No - 35%
• Unsure - 26%

Are you in favor of raising the federal minimum wage?

• Yes - 58%
• No - 29%
• No opinion - 13%

Would you be more or less likely to buy a business due to higher minimum wages?

• More likely to buy – 8%
• Less likely to buy – 24%
• No effect on my plans to buy – 68%

The Dodd-Frank Act is a U.S. federal law that places regulation of the financial industry in the hands of the government. How do you believe the Dodd-Frank Act affects small business lending by banks?

• Limits lending – 49%
• Encourages lending – 13%
• No opinion - 38%

Are you in favor of President Trump’s plan to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Act?

• Yes - 38%
• No - 27%
• No opinion - 35%

How do you feel about the current number of regulations on small businesses?

• There are currently too many regulations on small businesses – 74%
• There are currently too few regulations on small businesses – 3%
• There are currently the right amount of regulations on small businesses – 23%

Do you agree or disagree with the Executive Order that President Trump signed blocking refugees and banning people from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S.?

• Agree - 45%
• Disagree - 37%
• No opinion - 18%

Are you in favor of Trump’s plan to build a wall along the Mexican border?

• Yes - 48%
• No - 52%

Are you in favor of Trump’s plans to renegotiate trade deals (i.e. NAFTA)?

• Yes - 63%
• No - 16%
• No opinion - 21%

Would you be more or less likely to buy a business if Trump renegotiated trade deals (i.e. NAFTA)?

• More likely to buy – 22%
• Less likely to buy – 6%
• No effect on my plans to buy –72%

Media Contact:

Bobby Chilver
Walker Sands Communications
office: (312) 546-4712
email: robert.chilver@walkersands.com

NOTE: For additional statistics, please see the latest BizBuySell Insights Report

About BizBuySell

BizBuySell is the Internet's largest business for sale marketplace. Since 1996, BizBuySell has offered tools that make it easy for business owners and brokers to sell a business, and potential buyers to find the business of their dreams. BizBuySell currently has an inventory of approximately businesses - spanning 80 countries - for sale at any one time and receives more than monthly visits. The site also features an extensive franchise directory as well as an easy-to-use business valuation tool. Please visit www.bizbuysell.com for more information.

BizBuySell was founded in 1996 and in 2012 became a division of CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ - CSGP) - commercial real estate's leading provider of information and analytic services. CoStar conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information and offers a suite of online services enabling clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on commercial property values, market conditions and current availabilities. For more information, visit www.costar.com.

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