Health perception of French SME owners during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has immense impact on the conditions and behaviours of people and on those of small business owners in particular. Using two samples of some 3700 French business owners, collected before and during the pandemic, this study finds that on average, health perceptions in terms of physical and mental health differ: while perceptions of good mental health declined, those of good physical health improved. We also find that the size of business and the growth of turnover are mechanisms that contributed to the decline of the total health score. This novel finding implies that during the pandemic, business size and growth of turnover are seen as liabilities rather than assets by business owners. The results of our study have strong implications both for business owners as well as for policy makers.