CBI policy work helps shape the environment for UK businesses.

Supported by specialist in-house teams, CBI members set policy and influence decision makers in the UK and internationally to achieve a positive climate for business.

Business issues

Survey methodology

The CBI Survey Management Group is responsible for the development and maintenance of the CBI qualitative 'trends' style methodology and for all the processes undertaken for the operation of a complete and regular cycle of business surveys. All survey processes take place 'in-house'

This methodological process consists of:

  • Questionnaire formats and designs consistent across all CBI business surveys.
  • Maintenance and development of numerous business survey samples based upon CBI parent member and subsidiary files, UK sector Trade Associations, CBI regional office contacts and external, publically available databases.
  • Postal methodology to all participants on our surveys and also now online ad-hoc survey work.
  • All CBI business surveys are strictly confidential and no persons outside of the CBI Survey Management Group have access to the identity or identifiable data from any participating company. The CBI survey samples are not accessible outside of the Group and all company responses are handled and stored under strict confidential controls.
  • Collection and manual scrutiny processing of the returned questionnaires.
  • Item and unit non-response activity and imputation.
  • Data entry of the completed questionnaire.
  • Processing of the completed data using the CBI's survey system which uses SQL software
  • The production of a weighted percentage balance statistic based upon the difference between those who have answered in the negative to those who have answered in the positive.
  • CBI survey data is not revised or seasonally adjusted at any stage prior to the national publication. The harmonised supply to the EC is then subject to the instruments that underpin the composite ESI indicator process.
  • Production of the survey results and outputs.
  • Supply of final processed and/or harmonised data to CBI economists, DGII ECFIN and other key stakeholders.
  • Each qualitative business survey has a set schedule of despatch, collection, processing and supply. These can be subject to change, in relation to public holidays, special events, postal strikes etc and are monitored closely to ensure that where possible, the schedules adhere to the requirements of the harmonised programme.
  • Each questionnaire carries an acknowledgement of the financial support of the European Union.
  • Each questionnaire includes a statement advising participants to fax their responses back to the CBI in the event of industrial action by postal workers. This mitigates general risk in the event of industrial action by postal workers.
  • All the monthly and quarterly surveys are conducted where possible within the first fortnight of each month with results available supplied before the end of each month and well in advance of European Commission set supply dates.
  • Complete survey operations are conducted in-house within the group on the recently developed survey system.
  • The CBI Survey Management Group is very attentive to the problem of participant survey fatigue, and attention is paid to participants' concerns about methodological changes or interpretations of familiar question texts.
  • Unit non-response is a generic issue across all survey samples and this is dealt with by telephoning significant participants where necessary to ensure that we can capture their data.
  • Item non-response is dealt with by the imputation method, where it is contextually appropriate so to do, or by telephoning the participant or by reference to publically available sources, if the item non-response relates to number of employees or other more static non-trends questions.

The CBI Survey Management Group also conducts preliminary computer calculation runs where necessary in response to changes in interest rates for instance or where perhaps a significant national or global event has taken place. Pre-runs will be conducted in advance of the final calculation run to ensure that there are relevant referencing periods.

Business survey participant confidentiality protocols - the CBI approach

  • The CBI Survey Management Group exercises the highest standards of confidentiality in respect of the identity of respondents and their individual data. All business survey data is calculated and analysed on an anonymous basis; data sets with too few participants are not published, to avoid impinging statistical secrecy, but all data is supplied anonymously to DGii ECFIN.
  • The CBI Survey Management Group deals with highly sensitive and competitive individual company data each month and for this reason, no one outside of the Group is allowed access to either company identity or individual data. This rule applies across the CBI.
  • As these surveys are surveys of business in general rather than simply surveys of CBI members only, the same strict guidelines are also afforded to non-member companies. Membership of the CBI is not a pre-requisite for taking part in the business surveys.
  • It should be noted that the CBI Business Surveys are voluntary and that a key role of the Group is to maintain and enhance the goodwill and co-operation of each participant in the face of increased survey competition from other organisations.
  • These guidelines concur with those of the harmonised programme guidelines.

Want to participate in our business surveys? Contact the team