Business Insights and Conditions Survey questions: 16 March 2026 to 29 March 2026

These questions are for Wave 153 of the fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) dispatched on 16 March 2026.

Which of the following statements best describes your business's trading status?  

• Currently fully trading  
• Currently partially trading  
• Paused trading but intends to restart in the next two weeks  
• Paused trading and does not intend to restart in the next two weeks  
• Permanently ceased trading

Which of the following factors, if any, is your business concerned about impacting supply chains over the next 12 months? 

• Artificial Intelligence 
• Climate change 
• Cyber attacks 
• Increased barriers to trade 
• International conflict 
• Market distorting practices 
• Nature and biodiversity risks 
• Sanctions 
• Shipping disruption 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Business is not concerned about factors impacting supply chains over the next 12 months 

How does your business expect these factors to impact supply chains? 

• Increased costs of sourcing materials 
• Increased labour costs 
• Increased transportation costs 
• Shortage of inputs 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Business does not expect these factors to impact supply chains 

Which of the following actions, if any, did your business take to increase supply chain resilience in the last 12 months? 

• Demand management 
• Diversification of suppliers across a broader range of countries 
• Improved relationships with key suppliers 
• Increased awareness of supply chains 
• Onshoring 
• Relocated existing sourcing to another country 
• Stockpiling and surge capacity 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

Which of the following actions, if any, does your business plan to take to increase supply chain resilience over the next 12 months? 

• Demand management 
• Diversification of suppliers across a broader range of countries 
• Improve relationships with key suppliers 
• Increase awareness of supply chains 
• Onshoring 
• Relocate existing sourcing to another country 
• Stockpiling and surge capacity 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

Are your business's gas prices fixed or hedged? 

• Yes, expiring by 30 April 2026 
• Yes, expiring by 30 September 2026 
• Yes, expiring by 28 February 2027 
• Yes, expiring after 28 February 2027 
• No, gas prices are variable 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

Are your business's electricity prices fixed or hedged? 

• Yes, expiring by 30 April 2026 
• Yes, expiring by 30 September 2026 
• Yes, expiring by 28 February 2027 
• Yes, expiring after 28 February 2027 
• No, electricity prices are variable 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

How concerned is your business about energy prices? 

• Very concerned 
• Somewhat concerned 
• Not concerned 
• Not sure

Is your business concerned about the impact climate change may have on the business? 

• Yes, very concerned 
• Yes, somewhat concerned 
• No, not concerned 
• Not sure 

Is your business concerned about the impact nature or biodiversity risks may have on the business?                 

• Yes, very concerned 
• Yes, somewhat concerned 
• No, not concerned 
• Not sure 

Which of the following actions, if any, has your business taken to protect the environment? 

• Has a climate change strategy  
• Has a net zero or greenhouse gas emissions target  
• Has a net zero or greenhouse gas emissions target which includes supply chain  
• Has a nature or biodiversity strategy  
• Has a nature or biodiversity target  
• Has a nature or biodiversity target which includes supply chain  
• Has invested in nature or biodiversity projects 
• Monitors climate-related risks  
• Monitors nature or biodiversity-related risks  
• Publishes an annual sustainability report  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• None of the above 

What barriers, if any, prevent action being taken by your business to tackle environmental issues? 

• Competing business priorities 
• High upfront costs 
• Lack of internal expertise or knowledge 
• Limited access to finance or grants 
• Limited capital 
• Limited time or capacity to act 
• Low customer demand 
• Market pressure 
• Regulatory complexity or uncertainty 
• Uncertainty about return on investment 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Unclear on what actions to take 
• Not sure 
• No barriers

Which of the following actions, if any, has your business taken to reduce carbon emissions? 

• Adjusting heating and cooling systems  
• Electrifying your vehicle fleet  
• Installing a smart meter  
• Installing charging points  
• Installing your own renewable electricity or heating  
• Insulating your buildings  
• Introducing a cycle to work scheme  
• Investing in or delivering nature-based solutions 
• Reducing waste or resource use 
• Switching to LED bulbs  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• No actions have been taken to reduce emissions 

For which, if any, of the following effects of climate change has your business assessed risks? 

• Coastal erosion 
• Increased flooding 
• Supply chain disruption and distribution 
• Temperature increases 
• Water scarcity 
• Not sure 
• None of the above 

Which, if any, of the following effects of climate change has your business taken action to adapt to? 

• Coastal erosion 
• Increased flooding 
• Supply chain disruption and distribution 
• Temperature increases 
• Water scarcity 
• Not sure 
• None of the above 

Which, if any, of the following reasons have prevented your business from taking action against any of these climate change effects? 

• Business has been unable to take action due to costs 
• Business has been unable to take action due to lack of information or guidance 
• Business does not expect to be impacted by these effects 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Business has not been prevented from taking action 

Which of the following severe weather events, if any, has your business been impacted by in the last 12 months? 

• Flooding 
• Increased temperatures or heat  
• Storm 
• Water shortage or drought  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• Business has not been impacted by any severe weather events 

How has your business been impacted by severe weather events in the last 12 months? 

• Disruption to global supply chains  
• Disruption to local supply chains  
• Employee absence  
• Weather related damage to physical infrastructure 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure

Which of the following artificial intelligence technologies, if any, does your business currently use? 

• Autonomous vehicles  
• Data processing using machine learning  
• Image processing using machine learning  
• Robotics 
• Text generation using Large Language Models  
• Visual content creation  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• Business does not currently use artificial intelligence technologies 

What does your business currently use artificial intelligence technologies for? 

• Develop a new product or service  
• Explore a new market  
• Improve business operations  
• Provide, or personalise, products or services to customers  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• Not applicable 

How did your business adopt these artificial intelligence technologies? 

• Developed in-house 
• Outsourced to external providers or third parties  
• Through purchase of external software or ready-to-use  
• Using free-to-use software 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• Not applicable 

What roles, if any, have been most impacted by artificial intelligence technologies your business has adopted? 

• Administrative or clerical roles 
• Creative or design roles 
• Data analysis roles 
• Information technology roles 
• Managerial roles 
• Sales and customer service roles 
• Skilled, manual or operational roles 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

What has been your business's approach to integrating artificial intelligence technology related skills into your workforce? 

• Automating or replacing roles with artificial intelligence technologies 
• Outsourcing roles 
• Recruiting new staff with artificial intelligence related skills 
• Training or retraining existing staff 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

What impact, if any, have artificial intelligence technologies had on your business's overall workforce headcount? 

• Increased headcount 
• No change 
• Reduced headcount 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

Which factors, if any, have influenced your use of artificial intelligence technologies in your business? 

• Adequate business knowledge for artificial intelligence 
• Artificial intelligence accuracy 
• Artificial intelligence affordability 
• Copyright compliance confidence 
• Data protection compliance confidence 
• Ease of artificial intelligence integration and use 
• Supportive and safe regulatory frameworks 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 

Which of the following artificial intelligence technologies, if any, does your business plan to adopt within the next three months? 

• Autonomous vehicles  
• Data processing using machine learning  
• Image processing using machine learning  
• Robotics  
• Text generation using Large Language Models  
• Visual content creation  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• Business does not plan to adopt artificial intelligence technologies in the next three months 

What does your business plan to adopt artificial intelligence technologies for? 

• Develop a new product or service  
• Explore a new market  
• Improve business operations  
• Provide, or personalise, products or services to customers  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• Not applicable 

What roles, if any, do you expect to be most impacted by any artificial intelligence technologies your business is planning to adopt in the next three months? 

• Administrative or clerical roles 
• Creative or design roles 
• Data analysis roles 
• Information technology roles 
• Managerial roles 
• Sales and customer service roles 
• Skilled, manual or operational roles 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not applicable 
• Not sure 
• No impact to role 

What will be your business's approach to integrating your planned artificial intelligence technology related skills into your workforce? 

• Automating or replacing roles with artificial intelligence technologies 
• Outsourcing roles 
• Recruiting new staff with artificial intelligence technology related skills 
• Training or retraining existing staff 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Not applicable 

What impact, if any, do you expect the artificial intelligence technologies your business is planning to adopt will have on your overall workforce headcount? 

• Expect headcount to increase 
• Expect no change 
• Expect headcount to reduce 
• Not sure     

In the last three months, which of the following factors, if any, have prevented or delayed your business from adopting artificial intelligence technologies? 

• Cost 
• Concerns about government regulations or industry standards 
• Difficulty identifying business use cases 
• Employee concern about any potential impact of using artificial intelligence technologies 
• Lack of trust in artificial intelligence technology product safety or transparency 
• Level of expertise in artificial intelligence 
• Product or service availability 
• Security concerns 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure 
• Business has not attempted to use artificial intelligence technologies 
• Business has not been prevented or experienced delays in the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies  

Which of the following, if any, regulatory concerns have prevented or delayed your business from adopting artificial intelligence technologies? 

• Cost of compliance with regulations 
• Difficulty of compliance with regulations 
• Exposure to copyright related legal risk 
• Exposure to intellectual property related legal risk 
• Exposure to data protection related risk 
• Exposure to legal risk of using artificial intelligence technologies in own sector 
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure

How much confidence does your business have that the UK business environment will create favourable conditions for investment in the next 12 months? 

• High confidence 
• Moderate confidence 
• Low confidence 
• No confidence 
• Not sure  

How much confidence does your business have that the UK economy will grow in the next 12 months? 

• High confidence 
• Moderate confidence 
• Low confidence 
• No confidence 
• Not sure 

How much confidence do you have in your business's outlook for growth over the next 12 months? 

• High confidence 
• Moderate confidence 
• Low confidence 
• No confidence 
• Not sure

Has your business exported goods or services in the last 12 months? 

• Exported goods only 
• Exported services only 
• Exported both goods and services 
• Business has not exported goods or services in the last 12 months 
• Not sure 

Has your business imported goods or services in the last 12 months? 

• Imported goods only 
• Imported services only 
• Imported both goods and services 
• Business has not imported goods or services in the last 12 months 
• Not sure

What impact, if any, did the United States tariffs have on your business in the last month?  

• Business experienced additional costs  
• Business explored new export markets  
• Business passed additional costs to customers  
• Business stopped or paused exports to the United States  
• Increased competition   
• Increased demand  
• Reduced demand  
• Supply chain disruption  
• Other (Please describe) 
• Not sure  
• No impact on the business  

What impact, if any, do you expect the United States tariffs to have on your business in the next month?  

• Business will absorb additional costs  
• Business will explore new export markets  
• Business will pass additional costs to customers  
• Business will stop or pause exports to the United States  
• Increased competition  
• Increased demand  
• Reduced demand  
• Supply chain disruption  
• Other (Please describe)  
• Not sure  
• No impact expected for the business

Please tell us anything else about your business's current situation relating to topics covered in this survey

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