About half of small business owners expect growth in the coming months despite broader concerns about the economy, according to the Citizens Q3 2026 Business Pulse survey.
The survey found a divergence between owners’ outlook on their own businesses and their confidence in the wider macroeconomic environment, with optimism about individual growth prospects holding up even as broader economic confidence has declined. The findings suggest small business owners are drawing a distinction between company-level performance and broader economic headwinds such as inflation and interest rates.
The survey is conducted quarterly and tracks sentiment among small and mid-sized business owners on topics including growth expectations, hiring plans and access to credit.
The survey’s authors say the gap between company-level optimism and broader economic confidence has widened in recent quarters, a pattern they attribute to small business owners adapting their operations to offset macro-level uncertainty.
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Sources:
https://www.sfnet.com/home/industry-data-publications/the-secured-lender/tsl-express-daily-articles-news/tsl-express-daily-articles-news/2026/07/21/citizens-q3-2026-business-pulse–half-of-small-business-owners-see-growth-ahead-despite-concerns-about-the-economy