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Policy Issues Survey

In spring 2008, NAWBO surveyed its membership on the policy issues that have the greatest impact on members' businesses. The talking points below outline the results of the survey.

The top business issues for NAWBO members today are:

• The state of the economy (93% extremely/very important issue)
• The cost and availability of health insurance for myself and my employees (82% extremely/very important)
• Fuel and other energy costs (81%)
• Business tax issues (75%)
• Second tier issues are:
• education policies and their impact on the quality of the workforce (65% extremely/very important)
• national security issues, including terrorism and international conflicts (59%)
• access to capital (50%)
• immigration reform (49%)
• gaining access to Federal contracting opportunities (29%)
• Top tier issues are universally high across the country and among all groups of members, although the importance of the cost/availability of health insurance rises with firm size
• The impact on educational policies on the quality of the workforce is higher among NAWBO members of color, and those members are also more likely to mention access to capital and Federal contracting opportunities than are other members

The top issues upon which NAWBO members will base their Presidential and Congressional voting decisions this fall are:

• The state of the economy (48% mention in an open-ended question)
• Health care (47%)
• The war in Iraq and Afghanistan (42%)
• Taxes and government regulations for business (21%)
• The environment and global warming (10%)
• Immigration policy (10%)
• Terrorism/national security (10%)
• The top three issues are universally important, but:
• The economy is a more important voting issue in the Northeast than in other regions, while health care will have a greater impact on voters in the West than in other parts of the country
• The environment and global warming is of greater than average importance as a voting issue for NAWBO members of color and for those who are under 45 years of age

What is important for future health care reform proposals:

• Ensure preventative care and wellness program options are covered (91% very/extremely important)
• Maintain choice with respect to health plans and doctors (90%)
• Ensure access to information about providers and quality of care information (78%)
• Ensure access to comprehensive care for all (74%)
• Consider pay-for performance mechanisms to improve quality of care (64%)
• Keep deductibles low (52%)

Reducing costs is more important than expanding coverage when NAWBO members are asked to choose between them, much more so than for the average American adult. [i]

• When asked to pick the most important element of health care for policy makers to address, 65% of NAWBO members choose reducing costs over expanding coverage (19%), improving quality/reducing medical errors (12%) or reducing spending on Medicare or Medicaid (4%).
• In comparison, a national poll found that 40% of Americans would choose reducing costs, 32% expanding coverage, 15% improving quality of care, and 7% reducing spending.

How NAWBO members would have the Federal government act to meet its 5% procurement goal for women-owned firms:

• Hold Federal procurement officials responsible by linking performance on goals to their performance reviews (78% favor)
• Punish prime contractors who do not meet their subcontracting goals with women-owned small businesses (67% favor)
• Require agencies to set aside specific procurement opportunities for competition only among women-owned firms (52% favor)

Far more NAWBO members believe that immigration is an economic asset to the United States (53%) than an economic threat (18%) – much different than the results seen in a national poll taken last year [ii],  in which a 43% to 40% plurality felt threatened more than benefitted from immigration.

NAWBO members generally identify systemic reform over punitive actions on the immigration issue – again demonstrating a different emphasis than seen in the 2007 national poll:

• Implement a guest worker program for some businesses, such as agriculture (63% favor vs. 18% in the national poll)
• Provide a pathway to citizenship with certain requirements (52% favor vs. 27% in the national poll)
• Impose sanctions against employers of illegal immigrants (35% favor vs. 27% in the national poll)
• Increase border security (24% favor vs. 31% in the national poll)
• Increase arrests and deportations (14% favor vs. 16% in the national poll)

As business owners, NAWBO members favor implementing these aspects of immigration reform for employers:

• Improve the guest worker program to enable employers who cannot find qualified American workers to more easily bring in foreign workers (77% favor)
• Implement an electronic verification system to determine employment eligibility for prospective employees (69%)
• Impose monetary penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants (69%)
• Offer a pathway to citizenship with certain requirements for current employees found to be here illegally (61%) 

The NAWBO advocacy legacy continues to be very important to members

• 92% of members say it is extremely/very important to maintain the NAWBO legacy as the voice of women business owners in Washington
• 92% of members want NAWBO to keep members informed on Federal issues,
• 88% feel it is also important to help members be more effective advocates at the state and local levels as well
• 89% say it is important for NAWBO to continue to testify on Capitol Hill
• 71% say it is important for NAWBO to educate members who are interested in running for office

Survey Methodology: The survey was conducted online among members of the National Association of Women Business Owners between April 22 and May 15, 2008. Five hundred and two (502) members responded during the 3-week interview period. The sampling error for a survey of N=502 is +/- 4.5% at the 95% level of confidence, meaning that, 95 times out of 100, the survey responses reported will be within 4.5% of true population values.

[ii] NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, December 2007, taken among 1,008 adults nationwide.