Principal survey highlights greater COVID impact on businesses in rural communities Thursday, January 21, 2021 11:16 AM The prolonged economic impacts of COVID-19 have been wearing on small and medium-sized businesses, as owners report more uncertainty about when and how they may recover, according to a new report from Principal Financial Group. Business owners responding to the Principal Financial Well-Being Index survey are more concerned and cautious about the economic outlook than respondents to the previous survey in September. The new report compares responses from businesses collected by Principal since last spring when the coronavirus pandemic began. The 10-minute online survey, conducted Nov. 13-22, polled 500 business leaders from U.S. companies, in five size categories starting at two to 19 employees and ranging up to 1,000 to 10,000 employees.