Center for Student Enterprise | 91��Ƶ Business Poll

91��Ƶ Business Poll

The Lubin School of Business launched the 91��Ƶ Business Poll in the spring of 2021 in partnership with the Business Council of New York State and the Business Council of Westchester. The poll is being implemented by 91��Ƶ Connect, a student-run research center that is part of 91��Ƶ's Center for Student Enterprise.

The poll studies issues affecting downstate New York businesses. The initial poll, in 2021, focused on the effects of the pandemic on downstate NY businesses. Ongoing polls will focus on recovery and other issues affecting businesses in New York City and Westchester counties. Surveys will be conducted by phone and email every spring and findings will be released in conjunction with the co-sponsor organizations.

Spring 2024 91��Ƶ Business Poll

The fourth annual 91��Ƶ Business Poll in spring 2024 focused primarily on recent changes businesses in New York City and Westchester have made, major issues addressing businesses, and their outlook for the future. New questions were added this year about hiring Generation Z, artificial intelligence, and inflation.

The survey included 271 respondents, with a majority being managers from Westchester and New York City, predominantly holding senior leadership roles in various industries, primarily in professional services.
Nearly 80% of businesses have adopted a hybrid work model, with 43% conducting most meetings virtually, leading to significant reductions in travel budgets for over half of the respondents.
Most businesses increased wages in the last year, but also increased cost-saving measures to deal with the increase in wages.
The number of businesses who felt they were stronger than they were before the pandemic decreased from our 2023 report. The percentage who were optimistic about the future of New York City also decreased from the previous year.
When asked how hiring Generation Z has impacted work culture, of those who hired Gen Z workers, just 20% cited positive impacts like innovation and fresh perspectives, while 44% cited issues with training needs and work ethic.
When asked about the impact of artificial intelligence on their business, 36% said there was no impact, while 20% said they were still in early stages. Only 17% cited AI replacing humans or negative impacts, while 27% stated that AI had a positive impact.

Download the full 2024 report (PDF)

Spring 2023 91��Ƶ Business Poll

The third 91��Ƶ Business Poll was conducted in spring 2023. The report shows that most employees today are working with a hybrid model of some at-home and some in-office work. Many other new procedures have also carried over from the pandemic. Most businesses say that they have replaced many meetings that used to require travel with virtual meetings and have cut their travel budgets accordingly. Less than half of businesses still require employees to have COVID vaccinations. Significantly less businesses reported having difficulty bringing employees back to the office than in 2022, but most said that it is still harder to hire than before the pandemic, primarily due to a lack of interest in working hard and a preference for a work-from-home environment. Many said there is an increased interest in work/life balance among employees.

The majority of responding businesses say that they came out stronger after the pandemic and most were optimistic about the future of business in New York City and the metropolitan area. A substantial majority of businesses increased wages in the current fiscal year. Most businesses stated that they were heavily impacted by recent inflation. The top issues raised by respondents were rising cost of supplies, difficulty hiring or retaining staff, and the rising cost of labor.

Download the full 2023 report (PDF)

Spring 2022 91��Ƶ Business Poll

The second 91��Ƶ Business Poll was conducted in spring 2022. The report showed that most employers are more flexible now than they were before the pandemic with many more employees now allowed to work from home. Most of the managers surveyed said that they implemented new procedures, added new products and services and emerged stronger than before the pandemic.

Most employers required employees to be vaccinated and many said they were still having difficulty hiring and getting staff to work on site. About half of businesses still had less than three-quarters of their staff back on site. More than half were optimistic about the future of New York City and surrounding areas for business.

Download the full 2022 report (PDF)

Spring 2021 91��Ƶ Business Poll Report

A survey of business leaders from New York City, Westchester, and Long Island showed that most area businesses were able to stay open during the pandemic, though many were negatively impacted financially. Most of the leaders surveyed said that they implemented new procedures and went to remote work during the pandemic and most feel that they learned important lessons and emerged stronger than they were before the pandemic.