PAC recently hired polling firm Princeton Survey Research Associates International to survey 1,601 adults about feelings on business advocacy. The survey found that a majority of Americans generally support corporate lobbying, although the level of that support depended on the purpose behind the lobbying. It also found that public support for lobbying has waned slightly since a similar survey was taken in 2014.

Eighty percent of respondents said they supported corporate lobbying if the purpose was to save jobs, slightly down from 84 percent from the year before. Seventy-two percent say lobbying was justified if its purpose was to open new markets, down from 79 percent the previous year. Roughly the same percentages said lobbying could be used to level the playing field with a competitor.

The least popular reason for lobbying was to secure government funding or grants, with only 47 percent saying advocacy should be used for that purpose.

The survey also asked respondents what would they do if they were a CEO. Ninety-eight percent said they would not sit idly by if their companies struggled with government laws and regulations. Eighty-four percent said they would personally contact their local elected representatives. The same percentage said they would work with other companies to try to change regulations.

Full survey results can be viewed at http://pac.org/pulse/?p=484

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