Sage Election Survey: Strong Majority of Small Business Owners Will Vote and Have Already Decided Whom They Would Like to Elect

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire - Oct 24, 2012) -  Sage North America announced today the results of a small business owner survey about the upcoming general election. The survey showed that small business owners are deeply engaged during this general election season and are planning to vote in overwhelming numbers. Ninety-five percent of small business owners are planning on voting this November, and 86 percent have already made up their minds about whom they would like to elect.

Out of all survey respondents, 49 percent reported being Republicans, 13 percent reported being Democrats and 38 percent were independent, libertarian or declined to state. A majority of them (44 percent) said that they would be willing to vote for candidates who were not from their political party, while 43 percent said that they would not vote for candidates who were not from their political party. Surprisingly, 30 percent of respondents do not believe that either party is looking out for the interests of small businesses.

While most small business owners have already decided on whom they will be supporting this election season, the issues that small business owners find of greatest concern include government spending (70 percent), the deficit (68 percent) and healthcare (66 percent).

Moreover, 54 percent of small businesses are putting off making business decisions until after the election. The top three business decisions to be postponed included increasing investment expenditures (19 percent), hiring (16 percent) and either dropping or adding employee healthcare (nine percent).

"This election is a very important point in this nation's history, and it is clear that small business owners are engaged and will voice their opinions by taking to the polls in November. Respondents to the Sage election survey believe that public policy can affect the success of our nation's small businesses. It is wonderful to see that small business owners are being their own advocates and remain politically engaged," said Connie Certusi, executive vice president and general manager, small business accounting solutions, Sage North America. "The most surprising finding from our survey is that 30 percent of small business owners don't believe their interests are being represented by either party. Whatever the outcome may be, it is great to see that they are planning on making their voices heard on Election Day."

The survey was conducted by Sage during the period of October 5 - October 15, 2012, among Sage customers in the U.S. who are business owners at companies with less than 100 employees. A total of 287 people completed the web-based survey. The margin of error is +/- 6% with a confidence level of 95 percent.

About Sage
Sage is a leading global supplier of business management software and services for small and midsized businesses. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs more than 12,600 people and supports more than 6 million customers worldwide. For more information about Sage in North America, please visit the company website at NA.Sage.com. Follow Sage North America on Facebook, Facebook.com/SageNorthAmerica, and Twitter, Twitter.com/SageNAmerica.

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