The Forward Party released the latest installment of its Controlling What You Can series this week, examining how supporters view the challenges and needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs in the current economic environment.
Since announcing the series in March, the party has gathered supporter input on a variety of questions. More recently, it has focused on several economic topics, with recent installments addressing cost-of-living anxieties, national economic competitiveness, and trade policy. On Tuesday, the party turned its attention to small business and entrepreneurship, describing the results as its “most balanced and nuanced set of answers” to date.
A slider poll conducted on the Forward Party website found that 61% of respondents believe small business owners and entrepreneurs are faring poorly in the current economy. By contrast, 39% feel the environment is going well for these groups. Those with a negative outlook expressed stronger views, while those who were more optimistic were more evenly distributed in their beliefs. The party did not provide the total number of participants.
A separate X poll conducted during the same timeframe asked users to identify which policies they believe are most critical to supporting small businesses out of four proposed suggestions. Out of 1,813 responses, 34.3% favored reducing current regulations. They were closely followed by 31.8% who said tariffs should be lowered. Another 22.7% wanted lower taxes overall, while 11.2% supported increasing access to small business loans.
In a summary of submitted comments, the party said supporters believe many government regulations, while well-intentioned, ultimately serve large corporations by providing loopholes, leaving smaller businesses at a disadvantage. Respondents urged a more targeted and effective approach to regulation than what is currently being followed.
Tariffs also emerged as a major concern, with responses warning that recent policy changes could devastate small businesses. While some acknowledged that reshoring manufacturing to the United States may carry long-term benefits, others also expressed fear that current tariffs could prove too costly for small businesses and consumers to withstand.
I was notified by the Forward Party that the next installment in the series will focus on whether the United States is doing enough to prepare future generations for the workforce.