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The survey, commissioned by The Kansas
Chamber of Commerce and concluded in December, was conducted
by the national polling firm Cole Hargrave Snodgrass &
Associates, which contacted 300 businesspeople across the
state. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 5.6 percent. Nearly
90% of the respondents’ enterprises are small businesses with
fewer than 10 employees.
Kansas
business leaders prefer to reduce the costs of doing business,
for example, by reducing health care costs drivers, reining in
taxes, and tackling tort reform, instead of increased business
incentives or subsidies as the best economic growth strategy
for the state.
The Kansas
Chamber, with 10,000 employer members across Kansas, is the
fastest growing statewide business organization in
America. It is working to move Kansas towards becoming
the best state in the nation in which to do
business.
Along with an
increase in optimism about the direction of the Kansas
economy, business leaders give better marks to government
leaders, expect to make capital investments in the coming year
and expect slight job growth. Compared to earlier in the year,
significantly fewer would leave Kansas due to the business
climate if they could, 21% today compared to 30% in February
2004.
The poll is
an example of how The Kansas Chamber is using information
directly from business leaders across the state to develop and
take its pro-business agenda to the Kansas statehouse.
"This poll,
along with other member-driven data-gathering exercises, such
as The Chamber’s Health Care Now Tour, The Chamber's
Competitiveness Index, and a recent Kansas Voter's Poll
reinforce The Chamber's statewide agenda and help take the
employer message to lawmakers," said Lew Ebert, president and
CEO of The Kansas Chamber of Commerce.
“The Kansas
Chamber uses the information from this survey of business
leaders in Kansas to develop legislative solutions to the
issues that they identify,” said Ebert.
“Managing the rising costs of health insurance remains the
most pressing problem for Kansas businesses. Kansas health
care costs are unmistakably at crisis proportions for business
across our state,” Ebert said. And, according to the state’s
business owners and operators, frivolous lawsuits increase the
costs of business and deter business growth.
For a detailed presentation of the survey results go to http://www.kansaschamber.org/forms/05/
CEOPollRelease011105_files/frame.htm
For a summary memo from the pollster go to
http://www.kansaschamber.org/forms/05/ceopoll1.htm |
