What Business Thinks™ 2007—A Healthy 2007?

                                              2006                     2005   

About the same                       34%                      34%    

Higher                                      53%                     52%    

Lower                                      10%                    12%    

Left Blank                                 3%                      2%

How the Survey was Conducted

The 2006 Twin Cities Business What Business Thinks survey was conducted by Crescendo Business Services, based in Burnsville. More than 4,000 subscribers to Twin Cities Business were sent an e-mail invitation to participate. Responses were gathered via an online survey between September 26 and October 2, 2006. The overall response rate was greater than 12 percent (482 respondents), yielding a margin of error of ±4 percent.

Here is the demographic profile of the respondents:

•   Male, 77 percent; female, 18 percent; left blank, 5 percent.

•   Private companies, 63 percent; public companies, 23 percent; nonprofit, 10 percent; left blank, 5 percent.

•   Number of employees: 1–150, 56 percent; 150–500, 22 percent; 500 or more, 17 percent; left blank, 5 percent.

•   Annual revenues: under $1 million, 15 percent; $1 million–$5 million, 22 percent; $5 million–$25 million, 27 percent; $25 million or more, 27 percent; left blank, 9 percent.

•   Type of business: manufacturing, 19 percent; financial, 16 percent; service, 11 percent; high technology, 10 percent; marketing, 8 percent; construction, 7 percent; health, 7 percent; wholesale, 6 percent; retail, 4 percent; transportation, 2 percent; agriculture, 1 percent; other, 1 percent; left blank, 7 percent.

•   Political affiliation: Republican, 45 percent; Democrat, 17 percent; independent, 26 percent.