As the Department of Labor works to finalize a regulation to address the dearth of retirement plan sponsorship among small businesses, and Congress is poised to consider legislation that intends to close the retirement plan access gap, a new survey sheds light on small employers' confusion over their options. Millennium Trust Company, a Chicago-area based custodian and administer of SIMPLE and SEP retirement plans, recently commissioned a study of 500 decision makers at businesses with less than 150 employees that don't sponsor a retirement plan. The survey also included 500 employees without access to a retirement plan. Related: How small businesses are staying competitive in a tough recruiting environment The imbalance between large and small employer sponsorship of retirement plans is well documented in industry. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, 90 percent of large employers sponsor a retirement plan, while only 48 percent of employers with fewer than 50 workers do. Complicating the imbalance -- considerably higher investment management fees participants in small plans pay. Morningstar research shows participants in plans with $1 million in assets pay an average of 142 basis points in management fees, compared to 37 basis points in plans with $1 billion in assets. There is no shortage of industry studies showing plan costs, administrative burdens, and fiduciary liability as explanations of why small employers don't sponsor plans. But Millennium Trust's survey shows that cognitive dissonance might be worth adding to that list. The slides above reveal five takeaways from the survey. READ MORE: Tax plan framework could change small business retirement options Small business owners turning to boost benefits One fifth of small business owners are 'not confident' in their ability to retire