A majority of respondents to a BlackEnterprise.com poll said the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth held last week was a necessary step to curb unemployment and boost job creation.
However, 32% of voters thought that while the summit was necessary, they also viewed the meeting as a political maneuver that won’t help ease unemployment.
“For the people who responded to the survey, the White House’s actions were perceived very positively,†says Algernon Austin, director of the Economic Policy Institute‘s program on race, ethnicity, and the economy. “I think they have good faith in the White House … and their faith is borne out in that the president [announced today] that he is going to do something.â€
Indeed, in a speech this morning at the Brookings Institute, President Barack Obama outlined some key priorities for encouraging businesses to invest and create jobs. The president’s proposals would establish new tax cuts to assist small businesses, provide additional investments in roads, bridges, and infrastructure; and offer new incentives for consumers to invest in energy efficient products for their homes. Austin believes some of those strategies outlined by Obama may have been formed as a result of the jobs summit.
The summit was held one day before the Bureau of Labor Statistics released data showing that November unemployment was 10%. CEOs, lawmakers, and small business owners were among the attendees, and discussed strategies on how to best grow the economy.
About a quarter of the respondents to the poll decided that the jobs summit won’t have an impact on unemployment. Of that number 14% said the summit was a political maneuver, and 12% said it was not.
The results are in:
The White House jobs summit is:
— A necessary step to curb unemployment and boost job creation 43%
— A political maneuver that will have no impact on unemployment 14%
— A little of A & B 32%
— Not a political move, but it won’t help with joblessness 12%
The poll was conducted at BlackEnterprise.com between Dec. 3 and Dec. 7.