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Business leaders seem to trust Chancellor Rishi Sunak and approve of his previous economic support.

In a pre-budget poll of 500 executives on Wednesday, six in ten said they approve of the government’s economic support measures, compared with just 18 percent who oppose it. And 36 percent think the support was about right, compared to 24 percent who think they are too generous and 27 percent who think they didn’t go far enough.

However, the real impact businesses have had from this support is less impressive. While 43 percent say the support helped them manage it over the past year, more than half (57 percent) of SMB operators think it didn’t help.

By comparison, 51 percent of executives at larger companies (250+ employees) believe they do, suggesting the guidelines have helped larger companies more than SMBs.

Businesses outside of London are also more likely to believe government support hasn’t helped them. Over half of businesses in London and the Midlands think government support helped them manage it, while only 39 percent of businesses in the north agree.

Half said they would like a fixed date for the end of the financial assistance to prepare

When asked about key budget priorities, 29 percent of researchers for the survey by reputation management consultancy Lansons and Strategic Insight Agency Opinium said they would like the job retention program to expand.

One of the biggest fears in the business community is that this support is being removed too quickly, with half saying they want a set date for financial support to end to prepare, rising to two-thirds of those in large corporations.

Smaller companies felt particularly exposed during the pandemic and are far more pessimistic about their current situation and the future

Interestingly, almost half think Sunak and Boris Johnson are best placed to run the economy, compared to just 29 percent who trust Sir Keir Starmer and Anneliese Dodds.

More than two-fifths believe that economic growth should be the Chancellor’s priority on Wednesday. A quarter think that business support should be the focus and 23% think that the Chancellor should prioritize in order to keep unemployment down.

James Dowling, public affairs director and former tax officer: “This survey clearly shows how differently larger and smaller companies have weathered the pandemic.

“Larger companies are reasonably optimistic about the future prospects for their company and the economy as a whole. On the other hand, smaller companies clearly felt particularly exposed during the pandemic and are far more pessimistic about their current situation and the future.

“This is a clear indication of the views on the support businesses have received from the government, with SMEs far more likely to say they have benefited little from COVID support and want the security of knowing that they have access to that support, until the pandemic has completely subsided.

“Even so, the government is way ahead of Labor on whom companies trust to cope with the economy.”