Research and analysis

This Ipsos UK market research study and your personal data

Published 23 June 2026

Client: Department for Business and Trade

Project number: 26-005396-01

This privacy notice explains:

• who we are
• the personal data we collect
• how we use it
• who we share it with
• what your legal rights are

About Ipsos UK

Ipsos UK is a specialist research agency part of the Ipsos worldwide group of companies, and a member of the Market Research Society. As such, we abide by the Market Research Society Code of Conduct and associated regulations and guidelines.

Ipsos UK has been appointed by DBT to deliver research exploring the current experiences, attitudes, and opinions of businesses across the UK. The research will include a survey covering topics such as business confidence, the economic environment, awareness of government support, and more to help inform future policy for UK businesses.

Personal data Ipsos UK has received for this research

Ipsos UK has personal data relating to your business because we have been commissioned by DBT to carry out research on their behalf.

DBT is the data controller for this research. Ipsos UK acts as a data processor to deliver the research on DBT’s behalf (collecting, storing and analysing survey responses). Where Ipsos has independently sourced or supplemented the survey sample (for example, obtaining contact details from commercial databases or public sources), Ipsos acts as controller for that specific sampling activity.

Ipsos UK has taken a random sample of UK businesses (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) and their contact details from the Market Location business database, to invite them to take part in the survey. View information on how Market Location collects this data. This clarifies that their legal basis for processing the data they have provided to us is in their legitimate interests to ensure data quality and up-to-date business data. 

In some cases, we have supplemented Market Location details with contact details sourced from business websites and publicly available LinkedIn data, via our research partners, Sample Solutions (now part of Norstat). These data sources are commonly used for business research. View information on how Sample Solutions (now part of Norstat) collects this data.

Ipsos UK is the data controller for this data, and our legal basis for the work undertaken by Sample Solutions (now part of Norstat) is in our legitimate interests to ensure data quality and up-to-date business data.

The data (including personal data) Ipsos have received from these sources includes:

• company registered and trading names
• company address and postcode
• company telephone number
• contact name within the company where available – for an individual likely to be responsible for major finance, legal or compliance matters
• contact email within the business where available.

Ipsos UK’s legal basis for processing your personal data

This research has been commissioned by DBT to inform public policy. The processing of personal data for the purpose of conducting and reporting this research is carried out on the legal basis that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest (known as ‘public task’). 

This survey is necessary to assess business sentiment and perception across firm sizes and sectors towards DBT’s priority objectives. Findings shall directly inform decision-making and be used to assess whether DBT is delivering on its objectives.

Participation is voluntary. You may decline to take part or stop the survey at any time without giving a reason. This voluntary choice is separate from the lawful basis for processing your personal data. Where we ask you to agree to optional activities (for example, to link your responses to company identifiers or to be recontacted), we will ask for your explicit opt‑in consent for those specific activities.

How Ipsos UK will use any personal data including interview responses you provide

Firstly, responding to this survey is entirely voluntary. 

Ipsos UK will keep your personal data and responses in strict confidence in accordance with this Privacy Notice. Ipsos can assure you that we will not be sharing your identifiable responses with the client unless you opt into any specific, optional activities. You or your company will not be identifiable in any published results.

Ipsos UK will use your personal data and responses solely for research and analysis purposes. 

In addition, we will retain the unique anonymised identifier for your business, separate from your contact details. We will share this identifier with our market location sample provider to ensure that, where you have completed an earlier wave of this survey or withdrawn from future contact, your business will be excluded from the random selection process for the next 3 quarterly waves of the research.

This exclusion period is in place to minimise the burden on your business and to avoid contacting you about the same research within a short period of time.

How Ipsos UK will ensure your personal information is secure

Ipsos takes its information security responsibilities seriously and applies various precautions to ensure your information is protected from loss, theft, or misuse. Security precautions include appropriate physical security of offices and controlled and limited access to computer systems.

Ipsos has regular internal and external audits of its information security controls and working practices and is accredited to the International Standard for Information Security, ISO 27001.

How long Ipsos UK will retain your personal data and identifiable responses

Ipsos UK will only retain your data in a way that can identify you for as long as it is necessary to support the research project and findings. In practice, this means that once final reporting of the anonymous research findings is complete, we will securely remove your personal, identifying data from our systems.

Please note that if you opt into data linking at the end of the survey, the data shared (which would include your survey responses and Company Registration Number (CRN) if you are a registered company) will become subject to DBT’s own data retention policies. Data linking will only be undertaken for analysis and to produce anonymised outputs. No identifiable data will be shared with DBT unless you explicitly agree to this.

Table 1 shows when your personal data from this project will be deleted, depending on when you took part in the survey.

If you agree to be recontacted, your details will be stored by Ipsos UK in data centres and servers within the United Kingdom and European Union, for the timeframe agreed when you opted in.

Table 1: when your personal data will be deleted

Month you took part in the survey	When we will delete your personal data
June to July 2026	By end of November 2026
September to October 2026	By end of February 2027
December 2026 to January 2027	By end of May 2027
March 2027	By end of July 2027

Where your personal data will be held and processed

All your personal data used and collected for this survey will be stored and processed within the United Kingdom and European Union. 

Your rights

The processing for this study is carried out on the legal basis that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. You retain the following rights in relation to the personal data we process for this study.

Access

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you while it remains identifiable.

Rectification

You can ask us to correct inaccurate personal data.

Erasure

You can request deletion of identifiable personal data. Where personal data has been irreversibly anonymised and included in aggregated research outputs, deletion may not be possible because the anonymised data cannot be linked back to individuals. If you withdraw from the survey while your record is still identifiable we will stop further use and will remove identifiable records where technically feasible.

Restriction

You can ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances.

Objection

You have the right to object to processing of your personal data where processing is based on ‘public task’ on grounds relating to your situation. If you object, we will stop the relevant processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or where processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or for legal claims.

Complaint

If you have any complaints, we will appreciate if you give us an opportunity to resolve any issue first, by contacting us. You may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your personal data are processed. You can find details about how to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office or by sending an email to casework@ico.org.uk.

If you want to exercise your rights, please contact us at the Ipsos UK address. Where Ipsos is acting as data processor, we will follow the controller’s instructions when responding to rights requests. Where Ipsos is the data controller for specific sampling activities, Ipsos will respond directly for those activities.

How you can contact Ipsos UK and DBT about this study and your personal data

Contact Ipsos UK

Email: nationalsurveyofbusinesses@ipsosresearch.com with ‘26-005396-01 National Survey of Businesses’ in the email subject line

Post:

26-005396-01 DBT National Survey of Businesses
Data Protection Officer
Compliance Department 
Ipsos (market research) Limited 
3 Thomas More Square
London
United Kingdom
E1W 1YW

Contact DBT

DBT will receive anonymised research findings and will not receive any information that could directly identify you or your business unless you have explicitly opted into this specific, optional activity. However, if you have questions about the research, you are welcome to contact them using the following details.

Email data.protection@businessandtrade.gov.uk with ‘26-005396-01 National Survey of Businesses’ in the subject line

Post:

26-005396-01 DBT National Survey of Businesses
Data Protection Officer
Department for Business and Trade
Old Admiralty Building
Admiralty Place
London
United Kingdom
SW1A 2DY