Transformation of Annual Business Survey and Annual Purchases Survey

Overview

The ONS carries out a suite of Annual Business surveys:

• Annual Business Survey (ABS)
• Annual Purchases Survey (APS)

Each of these annual surveys are used to measure the size and growth of the UK non-financial business economy in the UK. 

The Annual Business Survey is a survey which covers the production, construction, distribution, and services industries, and is the main source for understanding the detailed structure and performance of businesses across the UK.

The Annual Purchases Survey provides detail on the energy, goods, and services used by businesses within their production process in the UK, otherwise referred to as intermediate consumption.

We want to ensure that our data meets the needs of the people who use it. To achieve this, we are conducting a review of our applied methodology, and reviewing our current ABS & APS questionnaires and the data collected.

We want to understand more about users’ experiences of ABS & APS outputs to help us understand:

• What data are most useful
• What data gaps currently exist
• What impacts any changes we implement may have

We’d be grateful if you could share your views by completing this short survey.

Please also feel free to use the comments section to expand on your answers, or if you’d like to provide any additional feedback or examples.