The Survey of Business Owners (SBO) provides the only comprehensive, regularly collected source of information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Data have been collected every 5 years since 1972, for years ending in '2' and '7' as part of the economic census. The program began as a special project for minority-owned businesses in 1969 and was incorporated into the economic census in 1972 along with the Survey of Women-Owned Businesses. Read more information about The Survey of Business Owners. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sbo/about.html

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) provides information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Further, the survey measures research and development (for microbusinesses), new business topics such as innovation and technology, as well as other business characteristics. The U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center conduct the ABS jointly for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation. The ABS replaces the five-year Survey of Business Owners (SBO) for employer businesses, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE), the Business R&D and Innovation for Microbusinesses survey (BRDI-M), and the innovation section of the Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDI-S). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs.html

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) is conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation. It provides information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. The ABS can be used to examine demographic characteristics of U.S. business-owners in arts-related sectors such as arts, entertainment, and recreation; information services; professional, scientific, and technical services; educational services; manufacturing; and retail trade. The 2022 ABS data tables include tables on design activities (tables 62-65), which encompass arts, entertainment, and recreation industries. These tables can be freely viewed and downloaded from the NCSES website: Table 62: Companies with design activities, by industry: 2021 Table 63: Companies with design activities, by company size: 2021 Table 64: Companies that provided resources for design activities, by industry: 2021 Table 65: Companies that provided resources for design activities, by company size: 2021

Release Date: 2016-02-23.[NOTE: Includes firms with paid employees and firms with no paid employees. Data are based on the 2012 Economic Census, and the estimates of business ownership by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status are from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners. Detail may not add to total due to rounding or because a Hispanic firm may be of any race. Moreover, each owner had the option of selecting more than one race and therefore is included in each race selected. Respondent firms include all firms that responded to the characteristic(s) tabulated in this dataset and reported gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status for at least one owner and were not publicly held or not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. The 2012 Survey of Business Owners asked for information for up to four persons owning the largest percentage(s) of the business. Percentages are for owners of respondent firms only and are not recalculated when the dataset is resorted. Percentages are always based on total reporting (defined above) within a gender, ethnicity, race, veteran status, and/or industry group for the characteristics tabulated in this dataset. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. and state totals for all sectors. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see Survey Methodology.].Data User Notice posted on September 1, 2016: Census Bureau staff identified a processing error that affects selected data from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO) Statistics, Characteristics of Business Owners tables. As a result, we removed the 2012 "All owners of respondent firms" line from the table. This processing error did not affect other categories in this table. Removed values can be derived by adding the Total reporting and Item not reported rows...Table Name. . Statistics for Owners of Respondent Firms by Owner's Age by Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012. ..Release Schedule. . The data in this file was released in February 2016.. ..Key Table Information. . This data is related to all other 2012 SBO files.. Refer to the Methodology section of the Survey of Business Owners website for additional information.. ..Universe. . The universe for the 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) includes all U.S. firms operating during 2012 with receipts of $1,000 or more which are classified in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) sectors 11 through 99, except for NAICS 111, 112, 482, 491, 521, 525, 813, 814, and 92 which are not covered. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. total.. For Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO) data, all estimates are of owners of firms responding to the SBO. That is, estimates are based only on firms providing gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status; or firms not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status that returned an SBO questionnaire with at least one question answered. The SBO questionnaire provided space for up to four owners to report their characteristics.. CBO data are not representative of all owners of all firms operating in the United States. The data do not represent all business owners in the United States.. ..Geographic Coverage. . The data are shown at the U.S. level only.. ..Industry Coverage. . The data are shown for the total of all sectors (00) and at the 2-digit NAICS code level.. ..Data Items and Other Identifying Records. . Statistics for Owners of Respondent Firms by Owner's Age by Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012 contains data on:. . Number of owners of respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. Percent of owners of respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. . The data are published by the owner's age as of December 31, 2012, and by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.. ..Sort Order. . Data are presented in ascending levels by:. . Geography (GEO_ID). NAICS code (NAICS2012). Ethnicity, race, and veteran status (CBOGROUP). Gender status (CBOSEX). Owner's age as of December 31, 2012 (OWNRAGE). . The data are sorted on underlying control field values, so control fields may not appear in alphabetical order.. ..FTP Download. . Download the entire SB1200CSCBO08 table at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/sbo/data/2012/SB1200CSCBO08.zip. ..Contact Information. . To contact the Survey of Business Owners staff:. . Visit the website at www.census.gov/programs-surveys/s...

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) provides information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Further, the survey measures research and development (for microbusinesses), new business topics such as innovation and technology, as well as other business characteristics. The U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center conduct the ABS jointly for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation. The ABS replaces the five-year Survey of Business Owners (SBO) for employer businesses, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE), the Business R&D and Innovation for Microbusinesses survey (BRDI-M), and the innovation section of the Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDI-S). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs.html

Release Date: 2016-02-23.[NOTE: Includes firms with paid employees and firms with no paid employees. Data are based on the 2012 Economic Census, and the estimates of business ownership by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status are from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners. Detail may not add to total due to rounding or because a Hispanic firm may be of any race. Moreover, each owner had the option of selecting more than one race and therefore is included in each race selected. Respondent firms include all firms that responded to the characteristic(s) tabulated in this dataset and reported gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status for at least one owner and were not publicly held or not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. The 2012 Survey of Business Owners asked for information for up to four persons owning the largest percentage(s) of the business. Percentages are for owners of respondent firms only and are not recalculated when the dataset is resorted. Percentages are always based on total reporting (defined above) within a gender, ethnicity, race, veteran status, and/or industry group for the characteristics tabulated in this dataset. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. and state totals for all sectors. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see Survey Methodology.].Data User Notice posted on September 1, 2016: Census Bureau staff identified a processing error that affects selected data from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO) Statistics, Characteristics of Business Owners tables. As a result, we removed the 2012 "All owners of respondent firms" line from the table. This processing error did not affect other categories in this table. Removed values can be derived by adding the Total reporting and Item not reported rows...Table Name. . Statistics for Owners of Respondent Firms by Owner's Average Number of Hours Per Week Spent Managing or Working in the Business by Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012. ..Release Schedule. . The data in this file was released in February 2016.. ..Key Table Information. . This data is related to all other 2012 SBO files.. Refer to the Methodology section of the Survey of Business Owners website for additional information.. ..Universe. . The universe for the 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) includes all U.S. firms operating during 2012 with receipts of $1,000 or more which are classified in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) sectors 11 through 99, except for NAICS 111, 112, 482, 491, 521, 525, 813, 814, and 92 which are not covered. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. total.. For Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO) data, all estimates are of owners of firms responding to the SBO. That is, estimates are based only on firms providing gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status; or firms not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status that returned an SBO questionnaire with at least one question answered. The SBO questionnaire provided space for up to four owners to report their characteristics.. CBO data are not representative of all owners of all firms operating in the United States. The data do not represent all business owners in the United States.. ..Geographic Coverage. . The data are shown at the U.S. level only.. ..Industry Coverage. . The data are shown for the total of all sectors (00) and at the 2-digit NAICS code level.. ..Data Items and Other Identifying Records. . Statistics for Owners of Respondent Firms by Owner's Average Number of Hours Per Week Spent Managing or Working in the Business by Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012 contains data on:. . Number of owners of respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. Percent of owners of respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. . The data are published by the owner's average number of hours per week spent managing or working in the business in 2012 and by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.. ..Sort Order. . Data are presented in ascending levels by:. . Geography (GEO_ID). NAICS code (NAICS2012). Ethnicity, race, and veteran status (CBOGROUP). Gender status (CBOSEX). Owner's average number of hours per week spent managing or working in the business in 2012 (HRSWRKD). . The data are sorted on underlying control field values, so control fields may not appear in alphabetical order.. ..FTP Download. . Download the ent...

This survey shows an assessment of small business owners on what the most important challenges for small business owners in the United States were in 2020. In the survey conducted in November 2020, about ** percent of the surveyed small business owners stated that their most important challenge was the impact from the coronavirus.

Abstract

The Future of Business Survey is a new source of information on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Launched in February 2016, the monthly survey - a partnership between Facebook, OECD, and The World Bank - provides a timely pulse on the economic environment in which businesses operate and who those businesses are to help inform decision-making at all levels and to deliver insights that can help businesses grow. The Future of Business Survey provides a perspective from newer and long-standing digitalized businesses and provides a unique window into a new mobilized economy.

Policymakers, researchers and businesses share a common interest in the environment in which SMEs operate, as well their outlook on the future, not least because young and innovative SMEs in particular are often an important source of considerable economic and employment growth. Better insights and timely information about SMEs improve our understanding of economic trends, and can provide new insights that can further stimulate and help these businesses grow.

To help provide these insights, Facebook, OECD and The World Bank have collaborated to develop a monthly survey that attempts to improve our understanding of SMEs in a timely and forward-looking manner. The three organizations share a desire to create new ways to hear from businesses and help them succeed in the emerging digitally-connected economy. The shared goal is to help policymakers, researchers, and businesses better understand business sentiment, and to leverage a digital platform to provide a unique source of information to complement existing indicators.

With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Geographic coverage

When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. The Future of Business Survey is now conducted in over 90 countries in every region of the world.

Countries included in at least one wave: Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas (the) Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands (the) Central African Republic (the) Chad Chile Colombia Congo (the) Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic (the) Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Faroe Islands (the) Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia (the) Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kenya Korea (the Republic of) Kuwait Lao People's Democratic Republic (the) Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Monaco Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands (the) New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger (the) Nigeria North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands (the) Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines (the) Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russian Federation (the) Rwanda Réunion Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tanzania, the United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turks and Caicos Islands (the) Uganda United Arab Emirates (the) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) United States of America (the) Uruguay Vanuatu Viet Nam Virgin Islands (British) Virgin Islands (U.S.) Zambia.

Analysis unit

The study describes small and medium-sized enterprises.

Universe

The target population consists of SMEs that have an active Facebook business Page and include both newer and longer-standing businesses, spanning across a variety of sectors. With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Twice a year in over 97 countries, the Facebook Survey Team sends the Future of Business to admins and owners of Facebook-designated small business pages. When we share data from this survey, we anonymize responses to all survey questions and only share country-level data publicly. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population, we also weight our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

A random sample of firms, representing the target population in each country, is selected to respond to the Future of Business Survey each month.

Mode of data collection

Internet [int]

Research instrument

The survey includes questions about perceptions of current and future economic activity, challenges, business characteristics and strategy. Custom modules include questions related to regulation, access to finance, digital payments, and digital skills. The full questionnaire is available for download.

Response rate

Response rates to online surveys vary widely depending on a number of factors including survey length, region, strength of the relationship with invitees, incentive mechanisms, invite copy, interest of respondents in the topic and survey design.

Note: Response rates are calculated as the number of respondents who completed the survey divided by the total number of SMEs invited.

Sampling error estimates

Any survey data is prone to several forms of error and biases that need to be considered to understand how closely the results reflect the intended population. In particular, the following components of the total survey error are noteworthy:

Sampling error is a natural characteristic of every survey based on samples and reflects the uncertainty in any survey result that is attributable to the fact that not the whole population is surveyed.

Other factors beyond sampling error that contribute to such potential differences are frame or coverage error (sampling frame of page owners does not include all relevant businesses but also may include individuals that don't represent businesses), and nonresponse error.

Note that the sample is meant to reflect the population of businesses on Facebook, not the population of small businesses in general. This group of digitized SMEs is itself a community worthy of deeper consideration and of considerable policy interest. However, care should be taken when extrapolating to the population of SMEs in general. Moreover, future work should evaluate the external validity of the sample. Particularly, respondents should be compared to the broader population of SMEs on Facebook, and the economy as a whole.

The SBO PUMS was created using responses from the 2007 SBO and provides access to survey data at a level of detail below that of the currently published SBO results. The SBO PUMS will allow researchers to create customized tables and models and to study entrepreneurial activity and the relationships between business characteristics such as access to capital, firm size, employer-paid benefits, minority- and women-ownership, and firm age. The SBO PUMS file includes national- and state-level data and detailed characteristics of businesses and their owners while protecting the confidentiality of survey respondents.

Release Date: 2016-02-23.[NOTE: Includes firms with paid employees and firms with no paid employees. Data are based on the 2012 Economic Census, and the estimates of business ownership by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status are from the 2012 Survey of Business Owners. Detail may not add to total due to rounding or because a Hispanic firm may be of any race. Moreover, each owner had the option of selecting more than one race and therefore is included in each race selected. Respondent firms include all firms that responded to the characteristic(s) tabulated in this dataset and reported gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status or that were publicly held or not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Percentages are for respondent firms only and are not recalculated when the dataset is resorted. Percentages are always based on total reporting (defined above) within a gender, ethnicity, race, veteran status, and/or industry group for the characteristics tabulated in this dataset. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. and state totals for all sectors. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see Survey Methodology.]..Table Name. . Statistics for All U.S. Firms by Number of Owners by Industry, Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012. ..Release Schedule. . The data in this file was released in February 2016.. ..Key Table Information. . This data is related to all other 2012 SBO files.. Refer to the Methodology section of the Survey of Business Owners website for additional information.. ..Universe. . The universe for the 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) includes all U.S. firms operating during 2012 with receipts of $1,000 or more which are classified in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) sectors 11 through 99, except for NAICS 111, 112, 482, 491, 521, 525, 813, 814, and 92 which are not covered. Firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each geographic area and industry in which they operate, but only once in the U.S. total.. In this file, "respondent firms" refers to all firms that reported gender, ethnicity, race, or veteran status for at least one owner or returned a survey form with at least one item completed and were publicly held or not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.. ..Geographic Coverage. . The data are shown at the U.S. level only.. ..Industry Coverage. . The data are shown for the total of all sectors (NAICS 00) and at the 2-digit NAICS code level.. ..Data Items and Other Identifying Records. . Statistics for All U.S. Firms by Number of Owners by Industry, Gender, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S.: 2012 contains data on:. . Number of firms, firms with paid employees, and firms with no paid employees. Sales and receipts for all firms, firms with paid employees, and firms with no paid employees. Number of employees for firms with paid employees. Annual payroll for firms with paid employees. Percent of all respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. Percent of sales and receipts of all respondent firms, respondent firms with paid employees, and respondent firms with no paid employees. Percent of number of employees of respondent firms with paid employees. Percent of annual payroll of respondent firms with paid employees. . The data are published by number of owners in 2012 and by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.. ..Sort Order. . Data are presented in ascending levels by:. . NAICS code (NAICS2012). Gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status (CBGROUP). Number of owners in 2012 (OWNRNUM). . The data are sorted on underlying control field values, so control fields may not appear in alphabetical order.. ..FTP Download. . Download the entire SB1200CSCB07 table at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/sbo/data/2012/SB1200CSCB07.zip. ..Contact Information. . To contact the Survey of Business Owners staff:. . Visit the website at www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sbo.html.. Email general, nonsecure, and unencrypted messages to ewd.survey.of.business.owners@census.gov.. Call 301.763.3316 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday.. Write to:. U.S. Census Bureau. Survey of Business Owners. 4600 Silver Hill Road. Washington, DC 20233. . . ...Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 Survey of Business Owners.Note: The data in this file are based on the 2012 Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners (SBO). To maintain confidentiality, the Census Bureau suppresses data to protect ...

Provides data for employer firms by sector, gender, ethnicity, race, veteran status, and years in business for the U.S., states, and fifty most populous MSAs, including detailed business characteristics.

Abstract

To gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives, challenges, and opportunities for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook and partners collaborate to collect and share timely information with the broader community. The State of Small Business (SoSB) Survey surveys SMBs, employees, and consumers from approximately 30 countries across the globe. This combination of survey respondents allows us to evaluate how the impacts on SMBs, their employees, and their clients have developed throughout 2021.

Geographic coverage

Argentina Australia Belgium Brazil Canada Colombia Egypt France Germany Ghana India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Kenya Mexico Nigeria Pakistan Philippines Poland Portugal Russian Federation (the) South Africa Spain Taiwan Turkey United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United States of America (the) Vietnam

Analysis unit

The study describes small and medium-sized business owners, their employees and consumers.

Universe

The survey uses a random sample of SMB leaders with Facebook Page administrator privileges and of the general population of Facebook users. Therefore, the sample covered in the survey is representative of SMB leaders surveyable through Facebook at the country level.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The survey reaches a random sample of SMB leaders with Facebook Page administrator privileges and of the general population of Facebook users. A random sample of firms, representing the target population in each country, is selected to respond to the survey. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population on Facebook, Facebook also weights our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

Mode of data collection

Internet [int]

Research instrument

Questions cover a range of topics depending on the survey wave such as business characteristics, challenges, financials and strategy in addition to custom modules related to regulation, access to finance, digital technologies, reduction in revenues, business closures, reduction of employees and challenges/needs of the business

Response rate

Response rates to online surveys vary widely depending on a number of factors including survey length, region, strength of the relationship with invitees, incentive mechanisms, invite copy, interest of respondents in the topic and survey design. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population on Facebook, Facebookwe also weights our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

Note: Response rates are calculated as the number of respondents who completed the survey divided by the total number of SMBs invited.

Sampling error estimates

Any survey data is prone to several forms of error and biases that need to be considered to understand how closely the results reflect the intended population. In particular, the following components of the total survey error are noteworthy: Sampling error is a natural characteristic of every survey based on samples and reflects the uncertainty in any survey result that is attributable to the fact that not the whole population is surveyed.Other factors beyond sampling error that contribute to such potential differences are frame or coverage error (sampling frame of Page owners does not include all relevant businesses but also may include individuals that don’t represent businesses), and nonresponse error.

Note that the sample is meant to reflect the population of businesses on Facebook, not the population of small businesses in general. This group of digitized SMEs is itself a community worthy of deeper consideration and of considerable policy interest. However, care should be taken when extrapolating to the population of SMEs in general. Moreover, future work should evaluate the external validity of the sample. Particularly, respondents should be compared to the broader population of SMEs on Facebook, and the economy as a whole.

Abstract

The Future of Business Survey is a new source of information on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Launched in February 2016, the monthly survey - a partnership between Facebook, OECD, and The World Bank - provides a timely pulse on the economic environment in which businesses operate and who those businesses are to help inform decision-making at all levels and to deliver insights that can help businesses grow. The Future of Business Survey provides a perspective from newer and long-standing digitalized businesses and provides a unique window into a new mobilized economy.

Policymakers, researchers and businesses share a common interest in the environment in which SMEs operate, as well their outlook on the future, not least because young and innovative SMEs in particular are often an important source of considerable economic and employment growth. Better insights and timely information about SMEs improve our understanding of economic trends, and can provide new insights that can further stimulate and help these businesses grow.

To help provide these insights, Facebook, OECD and The World Bank have collaborated to develop a monthly survey that attempts to improve our understanding of SMEs in a timely and forward-looking manner. The three organizations share a desire to create new ways to hear from businesses and help them succeed in the emerging digitally-connected economy. The shared goal is to help policymakers, researchers, and businesses better understand business sentiment, and to leverage a digital platform to provide a unique source of information to complement existing indicators.

With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Geographic coverage

When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. When the survey was initially launched in February 2016, it included 22 countries. The Future of Business Survey is now conducted in over 90 countries in every region of the world.

Analysis unit

The study describes small and medium-sized enterprises.

Universe

The target population consists of SMEs that have an active Facebook business Page and include both newer and longer-standing businesses, spanning across a variety of sectors. With more businesses leveraging online tools each day, the survey provides a lens into a new mobilized, digital economy and, in particular, insights on the actors: a relatively unmeasured community worthy of deeper consideration and considerable policy interest.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Twice a year in over 97 countries, the Facebook Survey Team sends the Future of Business to admins and owners of Facebook-designated small business pages. When we share data from this survey, we anonymize responses to all survey questions and only share country-level data publicly. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population, we also weight our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

A random sample of firms, representing the target population in each country, is selected to respond to the Future of Business Survey each month.

Mode of data collection

Internet [int]

Research instrument

The survey includes questions about perceptions of current and future economic activity, challenges, business characteristics and strategy. Custom modules include questions related to regulation, access to finance, digital payments, and digital skills. The full questionnaire is available for download.

The questionnaire was pretested by the target audience, as well as experts from the area of research interest. Additionally, steps were taken to translate the survey in order to reduce sensitivities to cultural response bias: - Respondents were given the option to respond to the survey in any of fifteen languages native to the countries in which it was conducted. - Translations were done only by native speakers, with two rounds of additional online checks in the context of the survey environment. - Translators were provided with context material for this survey (e.g., the Facebook for Business website) in order to understand the context of the survey. They were also instructed to take the English survey at least two times before starting with the translations. - Translations were discussed in a group in order to ensure a common understanding of questions and items. - The tone (formal vs. informal) of the survey was based on cultural conventions, e.g., Facebook usually uses an informal tone, while in cultures such as the Japanese this is very uncommon and thus a formal tone was used there.

Response rate

Response rates to online surveys vary widely depending on a number of factors including survey length, region, strength of the relationship with invitees, incentive mechanisms, invite copy, interest of respondents in the topic and survey design.

Note: Response rates are calculated as the number of respondents who completed the survey divided by the total number of SMEs invited.

Sampling error estimates

Any survey data is prone to several forms of error and biases that need to be considered to understand how closely the results reflect the intended population. In particular, the following components of the total survey error are noteworthy:

Sampling error is a natural characteristic of every survey based on samples and reflects the uncertainty in any survey result that is attributable to the fact that not the whole population is surveyed.

Other factors beyond sampling error that contribute to such potential differences are frame or coverage error (sampling frame of page owners does not include all relevant businesses but also may include individuals that don't represent businesses), and nonresponse error.

Note that the sample is meant to reflect the population of businesses on Facebook, not the population of small businesses in general. This group of digitized SMEs is itself a community worthy of deeper consideration and of considerable policy interest. However, care should be taken when extrapolating to the population of SMEs in general. Moreover, future work should evaluate the external validity of the sample. Particularly, respondents should be compared to the broader population of SMEs on Facebook, and the economy as a whole.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Small Business Survey, 2014 (SBS 2014) is a large-scale representative telephone survey of business owners and managers in the UK commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Scottish Government and Invest NI. Interviews were undertaken between July and October 2014 by BMG Research Ltd. The survey interviewed 5,115 businesses, each employing fewer than 250 people, across the UK. Some of these were enterprises without any employees, i.e. operated by a single individual or by partners who did not employ anyone else in the business.

Further information is available on the Government Small Business Survey reports webpage.

Secure Access SBS data
SBS data files containing 4 digit SIC codes and Inter-Departmental Business Register reference numbers for linking to other business surveys are available via the UK Data Service Secure Access system. These data are subject to further access restrictions. More information is available under SN 6856.
Main Topics:

The survey asked business managers and owners about a range of issues including recent growth in sales turnover and employment, obstacles to business success, the capabilities of owners and managers (in terms of their ability to innovate, export and train staff), access to finance, and the use of business support.

There are three related datasets included:

• one covering all of the businesses surveyed
• one for businesses with no employees
• one for SMEs with employees

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Longitudinal Small Business Survey (LSBS) is a large-scale telephone survey of UK small business owners and managers, commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). This survey is the latest in a series of annual and biennial Small Business Surveys (SBS) dating back to 2003. From 2015, the survey methodology changed to include a longitudinal tracking element. A large sample size was recruited in Year One (2015) to establish a panel of businesses that will be re-surveyed in subsequent years. This will allow a detailed analysis of how combinations of factors affect business performance.

The LSBS is intended to:

• improve the understanding of what drives and constrains business performance and growth by addressing evidence gaps relating to the lags between many business activities and associated performance outcomes
• provide improved data on current business performance and the factors that affect this. The larger survey size will provide more reliable findings for key sub-groups of the business population and in relation to activities such as seeking finance which are only relevant to part of the sample.

The data currently available includes a panel data file, also including the cross-sectional data and weights, for respondents from Year One (2015) to Year Seven (2021). Further information and research reports are available on the GOV.UK Small Business Survey reports webpage.

Variables available in the Secure Access version
The Secure Access version of the LSBS datasets include additional detailed variables not included in the standard End User Licence (EUL) version (available under SN 7973). Extra variables include:

• Postcode district
• 3 and 4 digit SIC codes
• Inter-Departmental Business Register reference numbers for linking to other business surveys

Prospective users of a Secure Access version of the LSBS will need to fulfil additional requirements, commencing with the completion of an extra application form to demonstrate to the data owners exactly why they need access to the extra, more detailed variables, in order to obtain permission to use that version. Secure Access users must also complete face-to-face training and agree to Secure Access' User Agreement (see 'Access' section below). Therefore, users are encouraged to download and inspect the EUL version of the data prior to ordering the Secure Access version.

The cross-sectional Secure Access data for 2010 and 2012 is available under SN 6856.

Latest edition information
For the eighth edition (March 2024), the data and documentation have been updated to include Year Eight, completed in 2022. The study consists of only one data file which includes both panel and cross-sectional data for years 2015-2022.

Main Topics:

The survey measures:

• the characteristics of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) such as their type (number of sites, number of owners, whether they have separate business premises)
• the characteristics of their owners and leaders
• recent turnover and employment growth
• capabilities (in terms of their ability to innovate, export, train staff)
• experience of accessing finance
• use of business support
• expectations of growing turnover and employment
• the major obstacles that prevent SMEs fulfilling their potential

This survey was designed to obtain a picture of women business owners, the major problems they encountered and the major determinants of their success. The original study (the Woman Entrepreneur study) was conducted in 1978 by the American Management Association. In 1979 a follow-up (the Woman Small Business Administration study) was conducted to identify the technical assistance needs of these women. A list of women business owners was obtained from government agencies and field offices using a nomination technique. Questionnaires were sent to more than 900 women; 284 usable questionnaires (29%) were received. In addition, 40 of the women judged to be the most successful in terms of gross receipts were contacted by female researchers for semistructured telephone interviews. Respondents were from all parts of the United States, and most were under 50 years old. Nearly three-fourths were Caucasian. Of the 284 initial respondents, 95 women (33%) returned the 1979 SBA questionnaire. Only 48 of these 95 can be matched to their 1978 responses. Business-related variables assessed included duties and activities; type of business; employees; gross receipts; how, when, why and with whom the business was started; capital and financing information; owner's relation with government agencies; present position; and household income. Demographic and personal information covered academic background, work history, marital status, childbearing history, geographic mobility, parental role models and influential factors, and the perceived adequacy of educational and work histories. Finally, recommendations regarding the types of assistance desired from governmental agencies, universities, and other professional organizations were solicited. The Murray Research Archive holds numeric file data from both waves of the study.

Abstract

Self-employment accounts for a large share of female employment in most developing countries, and it is considered an important avenue for women's economic empowerment. However, the majority of female-owned enterprises are small in scale with commensurately low earning levels.

Researchers from the World Bank, University of Peradeniya, and Warwick University designed an impact evaluation study to investigate the effectiveness of business training to increase female labor force participation and to raise the income levels of low-earning women already in business in Sri Lanka.

The International Labor Organization's Start-and-Improve Your Business (SIYB) program is one of the most common training courses in developing countries. This program has been given to over 4.5 million people in more than 95 countries.

In Sri Lanka, using a randomized design, researchers tested whether the impact of SIYB training alone differed from the training combined with access to capital in the form of a grant. Two samples were chosen. The first sample consisted of 624 women operating a business and earning an income of less than $2 per day. The second sample consisted of 628 women who were out of the labor force at baseline, but who expressed interest in starting a business within the next year. The first sample was referred to as "current business owners" and the second - as "potential business owners." Each sample was randomized into three groups: a control group, a group invited to attend training, and a group invited to receive the training and a grant of $129, conditional on completing the training.

A baseline survey was conducted in January 2009. Training took place in April and May 2009, and the cash grants were distributed in June 2009. Four rounds of follow-up surveys were carried out in September 2009, January 2010, September 2010, and June 2011 (rounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively). The follow-up surveys asked detailed information about business outcomes, including the key performance measures of business profits in the last month, sales in the last month, and capital stock (including raw materials and inventories).

Geographic coverage

Two largest urban areas in Sri Lanka - greater Colombo and greater Kandy.

Analysis unit

1) Female current business owners. This group consisted of self-employed women who worked more than 20 hours per week in self-employment, were involved in a sector other than seasonal agriculture or fisheries, and had monthly profits of 5000 Rs or less (the median in the general population of female self-employed).

2) Female potential business owners. This group consisted of women who were out of the labor force, but who were likely to enter the labor force within the next year. For females out of the labor force and between 25 and 45 years of age, the screening survey asked directly whether the woman planned to enter self-employment in the next year, as well as the nature of the business that she planned to start. As a signal of seriousness of intent, researchers sampled only women who were able to identify the type of business that they planned to start. Since the ability to participate in full-day business training program was important for the proposed intervention, respondents were also asked about the availability of child care for any children younger than five years of age.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample was chosen in two largest urban areas in Sri Lanka - greater Colombo and greater Kandy. Within each of the two urban areas, researchers selected 5 D.S. divisions in urban and semi-urban areas. There are four administrative levels in Sri Lanka: Provinces (9), Districts (25), Divisional Secretariat (D.S.) Divisions (324), and Grama Niladari (G.N.) Divisions (14,008). A training venue was located in each of the ten D.S. Divisions, thus minimizing the required travel time for project participants.

Within each D.S. division researchers then conducted a door-to-door screening exercise in selected G.N. Divisions. The short screening survey gathered employment information on females aged 25 to 45 living in the household. Based on the screening, a sample of 628 current business owners and 628 potential business owners was selected. This sample was stratified to take approximately 63 of each type in each D.S., in order to have equal sized groups at each training location.

Detailed information about sampling and randomization procedures is available in "Business Training and Female Enterprise Start-up, Growth, and Dynamics: Experimental evidence from Sri Lanka" report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

A separate questionnaire was designed for each of the five rounds for current firm owners and each of the five rounds for potential firm owners.

After the second round, potential firm owners who had opened a business were instead given the current firms questionnaires. After the third round, firm owners who had said they operate more than one business in the previous round were given the multi-firm questionnaire.

The NCRCRD collected data about small businesses in the North Central Region. The dataset includes 1,287 responses from small business owners, including information on owners, health and wellness in the workplace, and more.

This survey shows an outlook of small business owners on their company's financial situation 12 months from now in the United States from 2011 to 2020, by quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2020, about 73 percent of small business owners stated their business would be in a good or better financial situation in the next 12 months.

This table provides up-to-date information, including uncertainty margins, about the opinions held by Dutch entrepreneurs on their achievements, expectations and judgments regarding their business. This panel survey is aimed at gaining insight into the current situation, future development and judgments of Dutch enterprises. As a result it is possible to detect turning points in optimism or pessimism at an early stage, providing an early indication of possible trend changes in the economic activities of Dutch enterprises. Data are broken down by main business activity (SITC 2008). The questions submitted to the entrepreneurs at the beginning of a quarter concern output, turnover, prices, order books, stocks, investments, competitive position, economic climate, staff size and the obstacles they have encountered. In answering the questions relating to developments in the past three months and expectations for the next three months, the entrepreneurs are asked for a comparison with the preceding period of three months.

Data available from: January 2012

Status of the figures: All figures are definitive.

Changes as of May 27th 2025: Figures of May 2025 have been added.

When will new figures be published? Figures of June 2025 are expected to be published the 27th of June 2025.