AUGUSTA — A majority of Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce members say business is improving as the economy continues to recover from the Great Recession.

That’s according to survey results the chamber has released. More than 230 chamber members were surveyed last week.

In the survey, 56 percent of members said business had improved this year, up 11 percent from last year. Another 37 percent said business was about the same, while 7 percent said it was worse. A year ago, 43 percent said it was the same and 12 percent said it was worse.

Peter Thompson, the chamber’s president and CEO, said 80 volunteers visited businesses on Tuesday to thank them for being a member of the chamber and have them fill out a survey that gauges how their business and the local economy is doing.

“We track this over years,” Thompson said. “Obviously, it’s improving over last year and significantly from the depths of the recession in 2008. That’s a significant factor, to see continuous improvements. It shows we’re heading in the right direction both for their own businesses and the economy itself.”

Members also were asked what they thought about the local economy.

The results say 44 percent felt the local economy is improving, up from 35 percent last year, while 12 percent said the economy was worse, an improvement from 19 percent. And 44 percent thought the economy was the same, largely unchanged from 46 percent last year.

Thompson said business owners know how their companies are doing, but rely on news reports for their thoughts on the state of the national economy.

“They’re guessing a little more on the economy, but I find it a useful barometer of the local economy, when you get that many people saying they see it improving,” he said.

He said chamber members’ views of their businesses have become more positive every year since the 2008 recession, when only 35 percent reported business was better and 38 percent reported business was worse.

In 2008, 12 percent thought the local economy was improving, while 57 percent said it was worse.

The number of business owners who responded to the survey has varied over the last five years, ranging from a high of 329 in 2008 to a low of 233 this year.

Mechele Cooper — 621-5663

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