Independent Business Outlook 2026
A survey of owner-managed businesses on trading conditions, costs, investment intentions and the support they consider most useful.
Area of focus
Business confidence
Confidence shapes decisions on hiring, investment and expansion. BCFI gathers the views of business leaders to provide a measured reading of sentiment and the issues that underlie it.
Research
Insights & commentary
Reading business confidence with care
Headline sentiment measures are useful, but the reasons behind them often tell a more instructive story.
Cameron Batt