Utah Small Business Owners Support Access to a Retirement Savings Program

This AARP survey explored the opinions of 511 Utah small business owners or decision makers about employee benefits.  Over two in three small business owners express concern as taxpayers that some Utah residents have not saved enough money for retirement.  Over half express concern about their employees not having enough money to cover health care or living expenses when they retire. 

About two in three small business owners in Utah say they do not offer a retirement savings plan.  Three in five say they do not offer one because it's too costly, and a third say they are concerned about how complicated they are to operate.  Thinking about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small business owners and workers, over three in four agree it is vital to have access to a retirement savings program.  In fact, the majority of small business owners in Utah agree that being able to offer an easy, low-cost retirement savings program helps local small businesses attract and retain quality employees and stay competitive.

Key Findings

• Over two in three Utah small business owners express concern as taxpayers that some Utah residents have not saved enough money for retirement. 
• Two-thirds of small business owners in Utah say they do not participate in or offer a retirement savings plan.
• Over seven in ten would support a program requiring employers (with 10-100 employees) that do not already offer a workplace retirement savings plan to enroll their employees.  

Methodology

Interviews were conducted from September 30–October 31, 2021. The sample, including owner names and companies, came from a Data Axle USA list and is weighted using the 2017 Economic Census from the U.S. Census Bureau (based on industry, number of employees, and county).    

For more information about this survey, please contact Lona Choi-Allum at lallum@aarp.org. For media inquiries, please contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.