Handling the Economy Bush Gets an F

Handling the Economy Bush Gets an F

Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Arizona small businesses rate President Bush's handling of the current economic crisis as either fair (32%) or poor (56%). Almost none (2%) rated it as excellent and 10% only rated it as good. According to the poll's director, Dr. Michael O'Neil, "The vehemence of these findings is underscored by the fact that this group of Arizona small businesses is 69% Republican. Indeed, the 12% who rated President Bush's performance on the economy as either excellent or good was only 18% among Republicans. Clearly there is massive dissatisfaction with the government's response to the economic crisis and President Bush is seen as bearing a lot of the blame."

Obama Rated Somewhat Better

We asked the same group of Arizona small businesses how they felt about the handling of the economic crisis by President Elect Obama. The results were more mixed. Indeed, the proportion who rated his performance as excellent (14%) or good (34%) was almost equal to those who rated it fair (30%) or poor (22%). While these overall ratings are clearly not especially laudatory, they are dramatically higher than the ratings given to President Bush. While we have noted 48% rate Obama's performance as either excellent or good, we also note that this number was 32% among Republicans; while this rating is predictably lower, it is not dramatically so. This suggests to us that Arizona small businesses are taking a "wait and see" attitude with respect to the incoming President.

These results are taken from the Q4 O'Neil Associates/ASBA Arizona Economic Indicators Monitor. This project provides insights to support business leaders in companies of all sizes to make key economic decisions, as well as sharing small business attitudes on major political issues. O'Neil Associates, a national public opinion research firm based in Tempe, sent surveys to ASBA's membership of 3,000 small businesses across the state as it did at the end of Q1, Q2, and Q3 2008. The survey covered a wide range of economic issues, including business performance, revenue and job growth, and overall business confidence ratings. Results provide insights into the perceptions of business owners on the economic health and vitality of the Arizona economy. Based on 285 responses, the survey has a margin of error (at the 95% confidence level) of approximately +/-6%

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