Published
December 16, 2020
Small businesses anticipate the worst of the pandemic is still ahead according to the Q4 2020 MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index (SBI). The poll, released this week, also finds that half (50%) of small businesses see operating for a year or less in the current business climate before having to permanently close.
Amid a new surge in cases across the nation, most (62%) small businesses fear that the worst is still to come from the pandemic’s economic impact and three-quarters (74%) of all small business owners say they need further government assistance to weather the storm. That percentage increases to 83% when looking at minority-owned businesses. Only four in 10 (40%) of all small business owners believe their business can continue to operate indefinitely without having to shut down permanently.
“The impact of coronavirus continues to take a devastating toll on America’s small businesses. In fact, half of them say they can operate for a year or less before closing permanently,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “We must ensure small businesses across the country receive the assistance they need from the federal government. Not passing the bipartisan compromise for temporary and targeted relief risks the permanent loss of tens of thousands of small businesses, financial hardship for millions of Americans, and unnecessary delays in combatting the pandemic.”
In Very Tough Year, Most Small Businesses Say They Need More Federal Help
Most small businesses see the need for further government support to see them through the pandemic’s negative impact. A majority (56%) disagree that they have all the support they need from the federal government for their business to succeed.
“Small businesses are the heart and soul of communities and need help from the federal government to survive. We are now nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic and this survey shows how hard Main Street has been hurt,” Bryan Owen, owner of Between Pixels in Marietta, Georgia said. “My employees and my customers are counting on a renewed bipartisan effort in our nation’s capital to provide more help.”
The biggest concern at the moment is how COVID-19 will impact the economy. Across all subgroups—business size, region, sector, gender or ethnicity of the owner—80% or more are concerned about the virus’ impact on America’s economy.
Minority-Owned Small Businesses See Bigger Pandemic Impact
Minority-owned businesses are feeling a bigger impact from the pandemic, report assistance being more vital, and have heightened concern about the pandemic’s impact on the local economy, their businesses, and mental health. This can be seen in a number of survey findings:
- 83% of minority-owned small businesses say that more federal small business relief funds are important versus 71% for non-minority-owned small businesses.
- Just over half (51%) of minority-owned small businesses are very concerned about the virus’s impact on the local economy versus 35% of non-minority-owned small businesses.
- 41% of minority-owned small business are very concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their small business compared to 31% of non-minority-owned businesses who said the same.
- 39% of minority-owned small businesses are very concerned about the pandemic’s impact on their mental health, versus 23% of non-minority-owned businesses expressing the same concern.
Combating COVID and the Economy Are Top Policy Priorities for Small Business
Most small businesses see a long haul before things return to normal. Just a quarter of small businesses think the U.S. small business climate will return to normal in under six months, with more than half (56%) predicting between six months to a year for a return to normalcy. This is in line with sentiments expressed last quarter and in May.
“Despite the overall view of the economy improving slightly from last quarter, far too many small businesses fear they won’t make it another year,” said Jessica Moser, senior vice president, Small and Specialty Business at MetLife. “It’s vital that the voices of small business owners are heard. They still need help – a lot of it.”
COVID and the economy are the top policy issues for small business as we head into 2021. Combatting COVID-19 (44%) and the economy (44%) are the two top small business priorities for the incoming president and Congress.
The current Small Business Index score is 52.9 (a slight increase of 2.6 points from 50.3 in Q3). However, the new score remains substantially below findings before the pandemic struck: the Index score was 71.7 in Q1 of 2020, based on data collected before the full economic impact of the coronavirus set in. The survey was taken between October 30 – November 10 of this year.
The SBI is part of a multiyear collaboration by MetLife and the U.S. Chamber to elevate the voice of America’s small business owners and highlight the important role they play in the nation’s economy.
About the authors
Thaddeus Swanek
Thaddeus is a senior writer and editor with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's strategic communications team.
