Alignable: Special Report -- 76% of Small Businesses Fear Delta Variant Surges Will Hurt Their Recovery

Alignable's August Recovery Poll shows that more than three out of four small business owners (76%) are concerned that surges in Delta variant cases will impede their efforts to rebound.

In fact, while inflation has been listed as the No. 1 (and the fastest-growing) concern among small businesses over the past few months, the fear of the government closing businesses again because of COVID (specifically the Delta variant) is August’s top concern among all business owners polled. 

Nearly half (47%) of small business owners cited reclosures as their biggest worry, which is the highest that concern has registered in the past 15 months! The chart below illustrates that alarming statistic vividly.

Conducted among 5,164 small businesses this week, 7/31/21 to 8/5/21, Alignable’s August Recovery Poll also showed concerns were even more pronounced among minority-owned businesses, as well as a variety of industries that were most-devastated during the first year of the COVID Crisis. 

A majority of minorities running businesses (83%) said they’re worried about the Delta variant, with 44% adding that they’re “highly concerned.” 

Other groups fear the effects of the Delta variant, as well, but to a slightly lesser extent:

• 71% of men owning small businesses said they’re worried (30% assert they’re highly concerned)
• 66% of women business owners feel the same way (39% are highly concerned)
• 55% of veterans are worried, too, but only 29% are highly concerned.

Industry Statistics Are Even More Staggering

While 76% of all small businesses expressed concern about the Delta variant, percentages were even higher among many industries that struggled the most during the toughest days of the COVID Crisis earlier this year and last year. 

A monumental 88% of restaurant owners fear that the Delta variant could hurt their businesses, with the majority of this group, 55%, saying that they’re highly concerned.

Similar worries have been expressed by 87% of travel/lodging professionals, as well as 86% of event planners, 83% of photographers, 81% of entertainers/artists, 77% of retailers, and 76% of gym owners/fitness trainers. 

Meanwhile, 70% of construction company owners and 68% of real estate agents say the Delta variant could adversely affect their businesses in the coming months, as well.

One polltaker, who runs a children's theater company, says her business has already been affected by the Delta variant.

"At the beginning of the summer, my business was slowly starting to come back, although I only had 28% of the number of bookings from the pre-COVID era. However, 50% of my bookings cancelled, THIS WEEK, due to several POSITIVE cases of COVID IN YOUNG CHILDREN and schools having to SUDDENLY CLOSE. My business is currently is in a "wait and see" mode. I don't foresee that I will be operating again, until the Delta virus is under control."

Delta Variant Fears Rage Across Long-Suffering States 

Small businesses across the U.S. are afraid about how Delta variant surges might damage their livelihoods. 

But worries are more intense in some states that suffered the most last year and earlier in 2021.

New York-based small business owners are the most concerned across the U.S. with 82% of them saying they’re worried, and 36% of that group is highly concerned. 

Here are the percentages of small business owners who are generally concerned vs. being highly concerned. These numbers are high no matter how you look at them, though some states are bracing for harder times than others.

• MA -- 78% (43%)
• IL -- 77%, (41%)
• CA -- 75%, (36%)
• FL: 74%, (36%)
• GA: 73%, (29%)
• NJ: 71%, (33%)
• OH: 71%, (21%)
• TX: 67%, (31%)
• PA: 65%, (30%)
• NC: 63%, (29%)
• CO: 62%, (26%)
• VA: 50%, (22%)

What Are The Most Concerning Consequences?

Among all of the negative effects that the Delta variant could produce, the top three concerns were that:

1. Customer fears would escalate, preventing visits to their shops or offices
2. Their clients’ businesses could be negatively impacted, resulting in lost revenue for them
3. Employees, customers, and vendors could become ill

For more insights on this poll, including more data from other states, please contact me at chuck@alignable.com.

To see other polls we’ve conducted since March 2020, please go to the Alignable Research Center.

ABOUT THE ALIGNABLE RESEARCH CENTER 

Alignable is the largest online referral network for small businesses with over 6.5 million members across North America. 

We established our research center in early March 2020, to track and report the impact of the Coronavirus on small businesses, and to monitor recovery efforts, informing the media, policymakers, and our members.