Raleigh, N.C. – Respondents to the latest Civitas Institute poll shows a majority of North Carolinians believe small businesses, not government, are the catalyst to creating jobs and restarting the state’s economic growth.
According to the live caller poll of 600 voters, when asked who do you think is better able to create jobs and rebuild the economy, 59.7 percent selected small business and entrepreneurs, 18 percent large corporations, 9 percent government, 3.5 percent non-profit organizations, and 9.8 percent had no opinion.
“Voters are keenly aware of the power of small businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs and grow the economy,” said the Executive Director of the Civitas Institute, Francis De Luca. “Less than one in ten voters thought government was the best vehicle to create jobs. This seems to contradict current economic policy in Washington and Raleigh where government is raising, rather than cutting, taxes on small businesses.”
The same voters also indicated a strong preference for business incentives in the form of tax cuts. Over 85 percent of respondents would approve of a proposal to cut small business tax burdens in the state by 10 percent. 10.3 percent indicated opposition to this proposal and 4.5 percent had no opinion.
“Unfortunately, North Carolina’s economic development policy has been geared towards giving handouts to large corporations while maintaining a punitive high tax rate on small businesses,” said De Luca. “Despite the budget deficit, voters recognize that providing tax relief to small businesses should be made a priority in order to create jobs.”
The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues and policies facing North Carolina.
Full text of questions:
Now, I am going to read you a list of issues. Would you please tell me if you approve or disapprove of each of the following?
“A proposal to give every small business a 10% state tax cut to help small business retain and create new jobs.”
APPROVE – 85.2%
Strongly Approve – 55%
Somewhat Approve – 11.5%
DISAPPROVE – 10.3%
Somewhat Disapprove – 7%
Strongly Disapprove – 3.3%
NO OPINION – 4.5%
From the following list, who do you think is better able to create jobs and rebuild the economy?
1. Small businesses and Entrepreneurs
2. Large, multinational corporations
3. The Government
4. Non-profit organizations
Small Businesses – 59.7%
Large Corporations – 18%
The Government – 9%
Non-Profit Org.– 3.5%
No Opinion – 9.8%
Click here for full results and crosstabs.
This poll of 600 likely general election voters in North Carolina was conducted April 21-23, 2009 by McLaughlin and Associates of Alexandria, Virginia. All interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers.
Interview selection was random within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter distributions in a statewide general election. The poll of 600 likely general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 4.0% at a 95% confidence interval.
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