Summary

Business surveys provide information on different aspects of the economy and economic activity of enterprises, e.g., production, employment, wages and salaries, trade, financial results, etc. They enable us to observe progress and changes in given domains of the economy, as well as monitor developments in the whole economy and identify specific phases of economic conditions of a country. This information is also used to make decisions concerning individual business activities as well as formulate economic and monetary policies. Different types of surveys are designed for different purposes. A distinction can be made between two main groups of business surveys – Structural Business Statistics (SBS) for annual or multiannual statistics and Short-Term Statistics (STS) for monthly and quarterly information on economic activity of enterprises.

The aim of this module is to present general information about the above surveys – STS and SBS – taking into account, among other things, the subjective and objective scope of surveys and type of statistical output. The module also describes differences between the two kinds of surveys, especially concerning the output information and its role in the informational system.

The module is also devoted to the classification of surveys in terms of characteristics, sources and methods of data processing. It highlights the role of classification for statistical processes.

To read the entire document, please access the pdf file (link under "Related Documents" on the right-hand-side of this page).

Your feedback is appreciated. Please send your remarks, suggestions for improvement, etc. to memobust@cbs.nl.