Fall 2003 Keystone Business Climate Survey

SECTION I:

1. In general, do you think business conditions in Pennsylvania are better, the same or worse than they were six months ago?

15% BETTER
50% SAME
33% WORSE
2% NO OPINION

2. Looking ahead six months, do you think business conditions will be better, the same, or worse than they are now?

35% BETTER
41% SAME
20% WORSE
4% NO OPINION

3. Are employment levels at your company higher, the same, or lower than they were six months ago?

25% HIGHER
39% SAME
34% LOWER
2% NO OPINION

4. Looking ahead six months, do you anticipate that employment levels at your company will be higher, stay the same, or be lower?

24% HIGHER
53% SAME
20% LOWER
3% NO OPINION

5. Have your company’s sales increased, stayed relatively the same, or decreased during the past six months?

27% INCREASED
36% SAME
35% DECREASED
2% NO OPINION

6. Do you expect your company’s sales to increase, stay relatively the same, or decrease during the coming six months?

36% INCREASE
47% SAME
14% DECREASE
3% NO OPINION

7. At any point in the past six months has your company considered moving all or part of its Pennsylvania operations to another state?

4% DID MOVE SOME OPERATIONS
11% CONSIDERED MOVING SOME OPERATIONS
6% CONSIDERED MOVING ALL OPERATIONS
2% MOVED OPERATIONS INTO PENNSYLVANIA
73% DIDN’T CONSIDER ANY MOVES
4% NO ANSWER

8. Do you foresee at any point in the coming six months your company considering moving all or part of its Pennsylvania operations to another state?

4% MAY MOVE ALL OPERATIONS
18% MAY MOVE SOME OPERATIONS
73% NOT CONSIDERING ANY MOVES
1% MAY MOVE OPERATIONS INTO PENNSYLVANIA
4% NO ANSWER

9. In general, do you have a positive, negative, or no opinion of the job performance of the following individuals?

	POS	NEG	NO OPINION
President George Bush	75%	20%	5%
Fed Chair Alan Greenspan	78%	9%	13%
Senator Arlen Specter	32%	50%	18%
Senator Rick Santorum	60%	26%	14%
Governor Ed Rendell	28%	48%	24%

10. In general do you have a positive, negative, or no opinion of the job performance of the following institutions?

 

	POS	NEG	NO OPINION
United States Senate	35%	52%	13%
U.S. House of Representatives	47%	39%	14%
Pennsylvania Senate	30%	46%	24%
PA House of Representatives	33%	43%	24%

SECTION II

1. Do you think Pennsylvania should have a system of recall and referendum similar to that currently in effect in the state of California?

15% STRONGLY AGREE
18% SOMEWHAT AGREE
10% SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
47% STRONGLY DISAGREE
10% NO OPINION

2. Do you AGREE or DISAGREE with Governor Ed Rendell’s proposal to raise the Personal Income Tax from 2.8% to 3.75%?

7% STRONGLY AGREE
14% SOMEWHAT AGREE
12% SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
66% STRONGLY DISAGREE
1% NO OPINION

3. Do you AGREE or DISAGREE with Governor Ed Rendell’s proposal to shift funding for local school districts by cutting property taxes and replacing the revenue with $1.5 billion in additional state subsidies?

22% STRONGLY AGREE
23% SOMEWHAT AGREE
17% SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
32% STRONGLY DISAGREE
6% NO OPINION

4. Do you think the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been an economic benefit to the United States and should be kept in place, or has it harmed the U.S. economy and should it be repealed?

49% BENEFIT/KEEP IN PLACE
33% HARM/REPEAL
18% NO OPINION

5. Do you AGREE or DISAGREE that higher tariffs should be put into effect to protect the U.S. steel industry from unfair foreign competition?

20% STRONGLY AGREE
30% SOMEWHAT AGREE
18% SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
29% STRONGLY DISAGREE
3% NO OPINION

6. Do you AGREE or DISAGREE with Governor Ed Rendell’s plan to allow slot machines to be placed at race tracks in Pennsylvania?

34% STRONGLY AGREE
27% SOMEWHAT AGREE
6% SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
30% STRONGLY DISAGREE
3% NO OPINION

7. Do you AGREE or DISAGREE that, in addition to allowing the placement of slot machines at race tracks, the state should license casinos in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia?

25% STRONGLY AGREE
24% SOMEWHAT AGREE
8% SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
38% STRONGLY DISAGREE
5% NO OPINION

8. Much of Governor Ed Rendell’s policy agenda is bogged down in the state legislature. Who do you think is to blame for the gridlock?

4% HOUSE REPUBLICANS
2% HOUSE DEMOCRATS
3% SENATE REPUBLICANS
3% HOUSE DEMOCRATS
25% GOVERNOR RENDELL
55% ALL OF THE ABOVE
8% NO OPINION

9. If you are a registered DEMOCRAT, and the Primary election for United States Senator were held today, would you vote for Joe Hoeffel or Charlie Crystle?

19% HOEFFEL
5% CRYSTLE
76% UNDECIDED

10. If you are a registered REPUBLICAN, and the Primary election for United States Senator were held today, would you vote for Arlen Specter or Pat Toomey?

31% SPECTER
46% TOOMEY
23% UNDECIDED

11. Generally speaking, what do you think is the single most important issue facing Pennsylvania today?

33% ECONOMY/JOBS
32% TAXES/UNFRIENDLY BUSINESS CLIMATE
13% HEALTH CARE
13% GOVERNMENT WASTE
3% EDUCATION
3% UNIONS
2% ROADS

12. In what part of Pennsylvania is your business located?

13% NORTHWEST
24% SOUTHWEST
6% NORTHCENTRAL
3% JOHNSTOWN/ALTOONA
16% HARRISBURG/SOUTHCENTRAL
20% SOUTHEASTERN
2% LEHIGH VALLEY
11% NORTHEASTERN
5% CITY OF PHILADELPHIA

METHODOLOGY

The Fall 2003 Keystone Business Climate Survey was mailed on September 12, 2004 to 4,000 businesses employing 50 or more people in their Pennsylvania operations. As of the survey deadline of September 30, 2003 a total of 202 responses had been received.