FOI reference: FOI-2025-2501
You asked
Under the Freedom of Information Act, and in reference to this page, I would like to know the following:
- The response rate, in percentage terms, for each edition of the Annual Business Survey in each year since 2000 or from the year that the survey started (if it is later than 2000).
- Please include response rates to legacy editions of the survey, such as the Annual Business Inquiry.
We said
Thank you for your request for the response rates in percentage terms for the Annual Business Survey and its legacy editions from 2000 to the present day. This data is publicly available on our website.
The Annual Business Survey has been carried out every year since 2008. Prior to this the Annual Business Inquiry was carried out.
Details on the response rates for the Annual Business Inquiry can be found on the National Archives website. The first excel sheet, titled "Annual Business Inquiry 1998-2007 - ABI Quality Measures" includes the response rates for the ABI. These can be found on the third worksheet, titled response rates. The rates for the aggregate Annual Business Inquiry are described as SIC Division A-O (under SIC92 classifications) and can be found in row 10.
For the Annual Business Survey the same information can be found as part of our previously published Non-Financial Business Economy Quality Measures from 2008-2022. Here they can be found in the linked excel spreadsheet. Within this workbook, the fifth worksheet titled "Response Rates" includes the relevant information. The rates for the aggregate Annual Business Survey are described as SIC Division A-S(Part) (under SIC07 classifications) and can be found in row 6.