For a second time, I was asked to analyze the data from an online questionnaire distributed to small businesses in Rhinebeck, New York. Created by the local civic group Rhinebeck Responds, the survey asked businesses about the economic impacts from the coronavirus pandemic, as well as their opinions of the expanded sidewalk arrangements for dining and pedestrians that the local government introduced in last summer. The survey follows up from a prior May 2020 survey and provides insights into how local businesses fared over a truly tumultuous year in which, among other things, tourism from the NYC metro area was surprisingly robust.
From the press release, key findings of the survey include:
- The rate of businesses closed due to the pandemic has fallen by half from the first to the second surveys.
- The majority of respondents have accumulated only modest levels ($10,000 or less) of debt and unpaid bills.
- Layoffs of workers is a key factor in the ability of businesses to weather the pandemic’s economic impacts.
Here is the Rhinebeck Responds press release, published on March 2.
Here is the 8-page survey analysis memo I wrote with Martha Honey.
Here is my post about the first (May 2020) Rhinebeck Responds survey.