Survey: Most small businesses believe recession continues

The survey was conducted in March and April among 3,220 small businesses with $10 million or less in annual revenues in the 25 states - including Missouri - to which U.S. Bank provides small business banking services.

Comparatively, 78 percent of respondents in the 2011 survey believed the economy was in a recession, and in 2010, 89 percent checked yes on the question, according to a news release.

However, 85 percent of respondents in this year's survey think the U.S. economy still will be in a recession next year, unchanged from the 2011 survey and up 10 percent from 2010.

In Missouri, 76 percent of those surveyed said the economy is still in a recession, compared to 77 percent last year and 83 percent in 2010. The state's respondents feel less confident going into 2013, as 91 percent said the economy would still be in a recession next year, up from 88 percent in 2011 and 80 percent in 2010, the release said.

Other Missouri survey data:

• Only 12 percent of Missouri respondents felt the state's economic condition is stronger than the overall U.S. economy.
• Of those polled, 70 percent described the financial health of their business as good to excellent, compared to 61 percent in 2011 and 64 percent in 2010. 
• Thirty-one percent of respondents reported higher revenue in this year's survey, compared to 26 percent in 2011 and 22 percent in 2010.
• Health care/Medicare ranked the highest among the most important business issues in the upcoming presidential election, and economic uncertainty ranked as the No. 1 business challenge.