Longitudinal Small Business Survey, 2015-2018: Secure Access

The <i>Longitudinal Small Business Survey</i> (LSBS) is a large-scale telephone survey of 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. From 2015, the survey methodology changed to include a longitudinal tracking element. A large sample size was recruited in Year One (2015) to establish a panel of 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:<ul><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</li><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></ul>The data currently available includes a panel data file, also including the cross-sectional data and weights, for respondents from Year One (2015), Year Two (2016), Year Three (2017) and Year Four (2018). It is the intention to repeat the current survey with an updated sample each year for five years. Further information and research reports are available on the GOV.UK <a class="external" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/small-business-survey-reports" title="Small Business Survey reports">Small Business Survey reports</a> webpage.<br> <br> <i>Variables available in the Secure Access version</i><br> The Secure Access version of the LSBS datasets include additional detailed variables not included in the standard End User Licence (EUL) version (available under SN 7973). Extra variables include:<ul><li>Postcode district</li><li>3 and 4 digit SIC codes</li><li>Inter-Departmental Business Register reference numbers for linking to other business surveys</li></ul>Prospective users of a Secure Access version of the LSBS will need to fulfil additional requirements, commencing with the completion of an extra application form to demonstrate to the data owners exactly why they need access to the extra, more detailed variables, in order to obtain permission to use that version. Secure Access users must also complete face-to-face training and agree to Secure Access' User Agreement (see 'Access' section below). Therefore, users are encouraged to download and inspect the EUL version of the data prior to ordering the Secure Access version.<br> <br> The cross-sectional Secure Access data for 2010 and 2012 is available under SN 6856.<br> <br> For the third edition (July 2020), the data and documentation have been updated to include Year Four, completed in 2018. The study now consists of only one data file which includes both panel and cross-sectional data for years 2015-2018.<br> <br>