If government leaders in Washington are interested in job creation, they’re sure failing at the task of convincing small business owners and entrepreneurs.

At least that’s the conclusion one is likely to reach after reviewing new survey data from the Job Creators Alliance.

Job Creators Alliance’s survey of 600 business owners shows that pervasive pessimism about Washington’s policies concerning free enterprise crosses party lines.

A new poll of 600 small businesses with 100 employees or less conducted on behalf of the Job Creators Alliance finds that a large majority of small business owners believe that Washington has become more hostile toward free enterprise in recent years. In an open-ended question, a quarter of the respondents volunteered taxes as the most important issue facing American small businesses, double the response for any other issue. Health care and government regulations were the next most frequently cited garnering 11% and 10% respectively.

Among the key findings:

  • An overwhelming majority of small business owners believe that Washington’s policies have become more hostile toward free enterprise in recent years. More importantly, nearly half of all small business owners believe Washington has become much more hostile toward free enterprise. Furthermore, only 19% believe Washington’s policies have become less hostile.
  • Pessimism about Washington’s policies concerning free enterprise crosses party lines. Democrat small business owners split on this question, strongly suggesting that partisan polarization only goes so far on this question.
  • According to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute women-owned businesses will account for one-third of the new jobs created by 2018. This survey finds that a strong majority of women who own a small business also see Washington as an adversary.
  • When we consider the depth of pessimism among small business owners towards Washington’s policies it should come as no surprise that a majority of minority-owned small businesses also see Washington’s policies as hostile toward free enterprise.

Who is the Job Creators Alliance? Billie Redmond recently discussed the group with Carolina Journal Radio/CarolinaJournal.tv: