DOI: 10.5255/ukda-sn-6700-12
title: E-commerce and Digital Economy Survey, 2001-2021: Secure Access
title: E-commerce Survey

description: &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;i&gt;E-commerce and Digital Economy Survey&lt;/i&gt; is an annual survey designed to measure the extent of the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and electronic trading by businesses in the UK. It is the only survey that measures ICT activity and e-commerce within UK businesses, including foreign-owned businesses.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;
The survey has been subject to a number of revisions each year, and the 2001 survey is classed as 'experimental', is of low quality, and was subject to significant revisions. Subtle changes in the survey questions can make any comparison between survey years difficult, and so researchers are advised to double-check all questions.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;
The sample is selected from the Inter-Departmental Business Register. Businesses with more than 1,000 employees are sent the questionnaire every year, whilst those with less than 1,000 employees are randomly sampled and do not therefore necessarily receive the questionnaire every year. The sample allocation uses an algorithm and optimises the sample on key variables that have remained the same since 2003. The survey does not include businesses with between 1 and 9 employees for certain years, e.g. 2005.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;
The survey samples businesses in the UK from all Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, except for:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry (Section A)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Fishing (Section B)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Mining and Quarrying (Section C)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security (Section L)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Education (Section M).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;The survey has collected information on a consistent basis from SICs since 2000, with only minor adaptations in certain SICs. The survey refers to the year from 1 January to 31 December.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
There are separate &lt;i&gt;E-commerce and Digital Economy Survey&lt;/i&gt; questionnaires for the financial and non-financial sectors. Non-financial sectors are excluded from estimates relating to the proportions of businesses buying and selling electronically, and the values of their sales and purchases.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;2021 survey relaunch: &lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The E-commerce Survey was paused after the publication of the 2019 results to allow redevelopment during 2021 with a full review of the data collected. This refocussed the survey on UK user requirements. The survey was relaunched as the &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Digital Economy Survey&lt;/span&gt; with new questions. The survey was despatched in February 2022 collecting data for the 2021 reference period.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Linking to other business studies&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;These data contain Inter-Departmental Business Register 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.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;For the twelfth edition (March 2024), the 2021 data file has been added. The variable catalogue has also been updated. The survey was paused after the publication of the 2019 results to allow redevelopment during 2021 with a full review of the data collected. This refocussed the survey on UK user requirements. The survey was relaunched as the&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt; Digital Economy Survey&lt;/span&gt; with new questions. The survey was despatched in February 2022 collecting data for the 2021 reference period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;