ROLLING
MEADOWS, Ill., June 3, 2025
/PRNewswire/ -- Gallagher, a global insurance brokerage, risk
management and consulting services company, recently conducted a
survey of 1,000 U.S. business owners, revealing that many are very
worried that external forces will affect their businesses over the
next 12 months, including supply chain disruptions (69%), severe
weather (69%), and cyber-attacks (72%). These concerns have
prompted U.S. business owners to take proactive measures to protect
their businesses in an era of increased uncertainty.
What's more, among U.S. business owners with insurance coverage,
nearly 87% made a claim in 2024. For most (73%), each of those
claims was $25,000 or more, but only
some of those claims were covered by various policies, including
ones related to property (29%), employment practices liability
(28%), cyber (27%), and flood insurance (27%).
Defending against cyber-attacks and AI
U.S. business owners' worry over a cyber-attack impacting their
business has grown over the last year. The survey found that 72% of
U.S. business owners are very concerned that an attack will affect
their business over the next 12 months, up from 69% in 2024. As a
response, more than a third (36%) of U.S. business owners would
like to acquire or expand insurance coverage for cyber-attacks.
On top of that, almost all U.S. business owners (93%) are at
least somewhat worried that AI will affect their business over the
next 12 months, compared to 85% who said the same last year. As
businesses around the world grapple with the opportunities and
challenges of using AI, nearly all U.S. business owners agree that
AI misuse needs stronger regulation (95%) and better protection
(90%). Until then, U.S. business owners are looking at AI to
improve their business operations, with nearly half (46%) planning
to increase their investment in AI this year.
Investing in a stronger supply chain
Supply chain disruptions are nothing new, but they are becoming
more frequent and can be very disruptive to businesses. In
anticipation of supply chain disruptions, U.S. business owners are
investing in supply chain technologies like artificial intelligence
and machine learning (40%), supply chain automation (37%), and
cloud computing (37%). Plus, three in four U.S. business owners
(75%) already have contingency suppliers in place to manage
potential supply chain disruptions. This comes after last year's
survey revealed that 68% of U.S. business owners expressed strong
concern about supply chain disruptions affecting their
businesses.
"Advanced mitigation strategies are no longer optional—they're
essential to managing the growing complexity and unpredictability
of today's global risks," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.,
Chairman and CEO. "Supply chain disruptions can happen anytime,
anywhere, and can cripple operations without proactive planning and
risk modeling. By investing in resilience now, businesses can
reduce downtime, protect their bottom line, and ensure long-term
continuity in the face of uncertainty."
Going beyond policies and coverage to battle storms
Aside from supply chain disruptions, U.S. business owners are
also worried about severe weather impacting their businesses and
are considering steps to fortify their properties beyond insurance.
More than half (57%) have considered relocating their business or
investing in a more resilient facility to mitigate against extreme
weather. For those considering relocation, 44% would move to
another location within the same state, 44% would move to a
different state, and 11% would move to a different region
altogether.
Flooding is one of the biggest weather threats that U.S.
business owners view in the coming year (35%) as either impacting
their business directly or affecting one of their suppliers; yet
only 30% of U.S. business owners have flood insurance. The majority
of those with flood insurance, though, have made at least one claim
under those policies (71%) and over a quarter (27%) have made
multiple claims. Among those who don't have flood insurance, eight
in 10 (80%) are likely to purchase that coverage within the next
year.
After filing a weather-related claim, U.S. business owners have
taken precautions to help protect their properties against damaging
weather conditions, such as floods (40%), fires (39%), wind (37%),
hurricanes (32%) and hail (31%).
"Business owners know from experience that they're up against
unprecedented risks, and cannot face them alone," Gallagher said.
"Working with the right partner to identify and mitigate these
risks will help them see the most success and proactive resilience
planning, such as infrastructure upgrades, to truly safeguard their
operations."
To read more about the survey, Click here.
Study Methodology
The survey was conducted between
March 21 – April 2, 2025, by Wakefield Research among 1,000
U.S. U.S. business owners using an email invitation and an online
survey.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The
magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the
number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing
the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study,
the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus
or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that
would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons
in the universe represented by the sample.
About Gallagher
Gallagher (NYSE: AJG) is one of the
world's largest insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting
firms. As a community insurance broker and trusted local
consultant, we help people and businesses move forward with
confidence. With more than 56,000 people working around the globe,
we are connected to the places where we do business and to every
community we call home. Managing risk with customized solutions and
a full spectrum of services, helping you foster a thriving
workforce, and always holding ourselves to the highest standards of
ethics to help you face every challenge - that is The Gallagher
Way. https://ajg.com
Media Contact
Katie
O'Keefe, Prosek Partners
kokeefe@prosek.com
Jen Marshall, Gallagher
jen_marshall@ajg.com
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SOURCE Gallagher
