Forbes Insights and The Hanover Find Less Than Half of Small Business Owners Spend Sufficient Time Assessing Their Insurance Needs

WORCESTER, Mass., April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — A new study indicated that less than 37 percent of small business owners feel they have adequate insurance protection, according to a study conducted by Forbes Insights, the strategic research and thought leadership practice of Forbes Media, and The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc., a leading property and casualty insurance company. The joint 2018 Small Business Risk Report surveyed small business owners across the country to evaluate their understanding of insurance risk exposures and insurance purchase behaviors.

Small business insurance risk snapshot

The 2018 Small Business Risk Report concludes that small business owners are concerned about increasing risks including cyber, employment practices liability and crime exposures, yet, often are not spending enough time assessing their insurance needs and ensuring they have the right insurance solutions. In fact, less than half of small business owners surveyed indicated they are spending sufficient time assessing their insurance needs.

Other key highlights from the 2018 Small Business Risk Report include:

Small business owners overwhelmingly say breadth of coverage, not price, is the number one consideration when buying insurance for their companies.
While small business owners are aware they face risks, only about half have reviewed their insurance coverage in the past year.
Of those, just 21 percent say they leverage recommendations about insurance coverage from outside experts.
The top three concerns of small business owners include data breaches, loss of employees and business interruption.

“With risks evolving and becoming more complex, it’s more important than ever for small business owners to evaluate their insurance needs to help ensure they are properly protected,” said Michael R. Keane, president, core commercial at The Hanover. “This presents a tremendous opportunity for independent agents to provide expert counsel to help assess small business owners’ risks, identify solutions and guide them through the insurance buying process.”

To view an executive summary of the 2018 Small Business Risk Report results, please visit https://bit.ly/2Fg2KlC. For more information about The Hanover’s small commercial insurance products and services, please visit www.hanover.com.

About Forbes Insights
Forbes Insights is the strategic research and thought leadership practice of Forbes Media, a global media, branding and technology company whose combined platforms reach nearly 94 million business decision makers worldwide on a monthly basis. By leveraging proprietary databases of senior-level executives in the Forbes community, Forbes Insights conducts research on a wide range of topics to position brands as thought leaders and drive stakeholder engagement. Research findings are delivered through a variety of digital, print and live executions, and amplified across Forbes’ social and media platforms

About The Hanover
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is the holding company for several property and casualty insurance companies, which together constitute one of the largest insurance businesses in the United States. The company provides exceptional insurance solutions in a dynamic world. The Hanover distributes its products through a select group of independent agents and brokers. Together with its agents, The Hanover offers standard and specialized insurance protection for small and mid-sized businesses, as well as for homes, automobiles, and other personal items. Through its international member company, Chaucer, The Hanover also underwrites business at Lloyd’s of London in several major insurance and reinsurance classes, including marine, property and energy. For more information, please visit hanover.com.