America’s small businesses are slightly more bullish about their own survival than five months ago, with a majority now saying they expect to be operating beyond six months even if current conditions persist, according to a new survey, Bloomberg News reported. Sixty percent of business owners said that they will be able to remain open for more than a half-year, up from 46 percent in April, according to the poll, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Verizon Business. The survey firm questioned owners and decision makers at 600 small and midsize firms from Aug. 26 to Sept. 4. As prospects of a new stimulus deal remain slim after negotiations stalled in the U.S. Congress, small-business advocates have warned that the nation is on the precipice of widespread business failures and bankruptcies amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While it’s premature to say whether that will happen, a significant minority, 28 percent, indicated they may not make it through the next few months without additional government relief. Among other findings in the survey, hospitality and accommodations businesses are the least confident in their longtime survival prospects, with 47 percent expecting to operate beyond six months if conditions don’t improve. The most optimistic respondents were in the property and real-estate industry, with 78 percent expecting to survive even under present conditions.
