Longitudinal Small Business Survey, Year One, 2015

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p><I>The Longitudinal Small Business Survey (LSBS)</I> is a large-scale telephone survey of 15,502 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.<br> <br> The Year One LSBS is the largest SBS yet undertaken. The main reason for this is to allow the survey to have a longitudinal tracking element, establishing a 'panel' or businesses that will be re-surveyed in subsequent years. This will allow a detailed analysis of how combinations of factors affect business performance.<br> <br> The LSBS is intended to:<br> <li>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;<br> <li>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.</li><br> It is the intention to repeat the current survey with an updated sample each year for the next five years.<br> <br> <i>Repeted Cross-Sectional Studies</i><br> Until 2015 the SBS has been designed as a repeted cross-sectional study, conducted annually from 2003 to 2008, and every two years from 2010. Research reports for these surveys are published by BIS, please see <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/small-business-survey-reports">Small Business Survey Reports </a>. <br> The 2014 datasets, covering the businesses surveyed, businesses with no employees and SMEs with employees, are available via the UK Data Service and held under SN 7814.<br> <br> <i>Secure Access Studies</i><br> SBS data files for 2010 and 2012 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.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The survey asked business managers and owners about a range of issues including:<br> <li>obstacles to business success;<br> <li>business networks and innovation;<br> <li>financial issues and the use of business support;<br> <li>recruitment and training aspects.