Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS, formerly the Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey) is a voluntary fortnightly survey of businesses developed to deliver timely indicators to help understand the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The scope of the survey has been expanded to explore other economic-related issues such as the European Union transition period (Brexit). The survey captures businesses responses on how their turnover, workforce, prices, trade and business resilience have been affected in the two week reference period.The data should be treated with caution as results reflect the characteristics of those who responded and not necessarily the wider business population. Comparison of the proportions of businesses' trading status between waves should be treated with caution because of the voluntary nature of the survey, the difference in response rates and dependency on those businesses that only responded in particular waves. These data should not be used in place of official statistics. The survey was designed to give an indication of the impact of the coronavirus on businesses and a timelier estimate than other surveys. The latest publications from the survey can be found on the ONS Business Services webpage. Linking to other business studiesThese data contain IDBR reference numbers. These are anonymous but unique reference numbers assigned to business organisations. Their inclusion allows researchers to combine different business survey sources together. Researchers may consider applying for other business data to assist their research.Latest edition informationFor the eighteenth edition (July 2023), data and documentation for Waves 78 to 82 have been added to the study.
Main Topics:
BICS covers questions relating to:financial performance of the businessoperational performance of the businessother financial or operational issuesA full list of variables available for each wave is included in the BICS Variable Catalogue, Questionnaires and Data Dictionaries, which are part of the study documentation.
One-stage stratified or systematic random sample
Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)
