Unease over US Competitiveness Signals Need for Presidential Candidates to Address Innovation, Tech Priorities, New CompTIA-Commissioned Survey Finds

Noted pollster John Zogby delivers keynote speech at Breakaway 2012 on results of IT executive survey

News provided by

Jul 31, 2012, 02:45 ET

LAS VEGAS, July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Information technology (IT) industry executives want both U.S. presidential candidates to increase their focus on key policy priorities impacting the industry, according to a new national survey commissioned by CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the IT industry.

Noted pollster John Zogby unveiled the results of the JZ Analytics survey here today during a keynote speech at Breakaway 2012, the IT channel's premier education event.

Zogby told attendees that IT industry executives support at least a moderate role of government in addressing challenges faced by the industry. But the survey also is permeated with a sense of disengagement with the current political process and a significant plurality undecided with respect to which candidate would address various IT issues more effectively.

"This late into the political season, we are seeing a high level of disengagement from those in the IT sector," Zogby reported. "This is true across company size, specialization and geographic region."

"As we gear up for the elections this fall, we're finding that messages from the candidates have yet to resonate with the IT sector and the challenges and opportunities before the industry," said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. "Despite global economic uncertainties, the United States remains a leader in innovation, particularly in technology. Any candidate hoping to win the support of the industry will need to provide a stronger vision for how we retain and expand our leadership in this growing and vibrant IT sector."

Several economic indicators show that the United States remains a global leader in IT business innovation; however, the perception among those surveyed reflected uncertainty over the future.

Among the key findings, two in three surveyed (64 percent) fear a loss of U.S. leadership in the global information technology sector. Another two out of three (68 percent) believe this change in U.S. leadership will have a harmful impact on economic growth and jobs. Nearly one-third of those surveyed (31 percent) believe it is a priority for government to keep IT businesses in the U.S.

On five key issues, tax policy, access to capital, small and medium business' tech exports, STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) and privacy, the respondents rated the two candidates about evenly, giving a slight edge to President Obama over Governor Romney in each case. However, in every instance, about an equal percentage indicated no preference between the two candidates.

Q: Who would do a better job as president regarding the following important information technology issues that face the US economy today?

	Obama	Romney	Neither/Not Sure
Tax policies that promote innovation & jobs in the U.S. IT sector	38%	25%	37%
Access to capital to advance start-ups and business expansion	33%	30%	37%
Expansion of tech exports by U.S. small and medium sized IT businesses	34%	27%	39%
Promote STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math)	37%	25%	38%
Ensure privacy as part of broadband, online and mobile policy	32%	26%	42%

The survey of 300 IT professionals was conducted online In June and July and has a margin of error of +/- 5.8 percent.

More than 1,000 IT industry executives are attending Breakaway 2012 to gain fresh insights and new education into the markets, solutions and technologies impacting the IT channel today. The conference continues through Thursday, Aug. 2. Visit CompTIA Events to learn more.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world's information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA at www.facebook.com/CompTIA and http://twitter.com/comptia.

About JZ Analytics

For three decades, the Zogby companies have produced polls with an unparalleled record of accuracy and reliability in the polling field. Zogby telephone and interactive surveys have generally been the most accurate in U.S. Presidential elections since 1996.

JZ Analytics is composed entirely of senior level executives from Zogby International. JZ Analytics, along with renowned pollster John Zogby, have continued in the tradition of conducting telephone and interactive surveys, while keeping an eye on the future by incorporating social media tracking and analysis into our work.

JZ Analytics conducts a wide variety of surveys internationally and nationally in industries, including banking, IT, medical devices, government agencies, colleges and universities, non-profits, automotive, insurance and NGOs.

SOURCE CompTIA