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Key Findings

Administrative burden of CSO surveys on businesses decreases by 6.9% in 2021.

Online ISSN: 2009-6720
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

Key Findings

The response burden index, which measures the estimated administrative burden of CSO surveys on all businesses, fell by 6.9% in 2021. This followed an increase in 2020 when all farms were required to complete the Census of Agriculture.

  • The estimated cost to businesses of completing CSO surveys was €3.89 million in 2021, down €287,400 from 2020.

  • There were 501,600 active business enterprises (including farms) in Ireland in 2021.

  • The CSO issued 314,300 survey forms to these enterprises in 2021, or an average of 0.63 survey forms per enterprise. A total of 179,100 completed forms were returned to the CSO by businesses.

  • The number of forms returned was 94,100 lower in 2021 than in 2020, reflecting the collection of the Census of Agriculture in 2020.

  • COVID-19 had an effect on the collection of business surveys, with a reduction in the number of forms collected from business sectors, apart from the Census of Agriculture, in 2020 and 2021. The CSO received 196,200 completed forms in 2019, before COVID-19, and this fell to 179,100 (-8.7% drop) in 2021.

  • The estimated total number of hours spent by businesses answering CSO surveys in 2021 was 214,400 or 25.6 minutes per business, measured on the basis of forms at least partially completed and actually returned to the CSO.

Statistician's Comment

Barry Sobey, Statistician in the Business Division, said: "The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (26 September 2022) published results from the Response Burden Barometer 2021.

Commenting on the annual figures, he said: "The Response Burden Barometer is a measure of the estimated burden on businesses of filling out CSO surveys.  The response burden index fell by 6.9% in 2021.  Farms and Businesses returned 179,100 completed forms to the CSO in 2021, compared with 273,200 in 2020.

The number of survey forms and the overall burden on farms and businesses can be affected by a number of factors each year. Periodic surveys, such as the Census of Agriculture in 2020 increase the number of forms collected.

The impact of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 also had a profound effect on many businesses and reduced the level of response across several business surveys. The CSO received 196,200 completed forms in 2019, before COVID-19, and this fell to 179,100 (-8.7%) in 2021.

The estimated total cost to businesses of completing CSO surveys was €3.89 million in 2021, down €287,400 from 2020. The time spent on these returns was an average of 25.6 minutes per business, with an average burden of €7.76 per Enterprise."

Main Results

There was a 6.9% decrease in the response burden index between 2020 and 2021.  See Table 1 and Figure 1.

For main headline figures, see Infographic

The response burden is a measure of the total administrative burden placed on Irish enterprises and agricultural holdings by Central Statistics Office (CSO) surveys when calculated on an actual compliance basis. (Actual compliance basis: Calculated on a time and cost basis of fully or partially completed returns to the CSO. This is the preferred method of the European Statistical System for calculating the Response Burden.)

Table 1: Response Burden Index

The Response Burden Index gauges the administrative burden measured on an actual compliance basis.
2020 and 2010 figures reflect the decennial Census of Agriculture.
Base Year is 2013.

Administrative Burden

The Response Burden Barometer reverted to levels broadly comparable to 2019 after an increase in 2020. The increase in data collection in 2020 reflects the decennial Census of Agriculture. In terms of forms completed by farms and businesses, the CSO received 273,200 forms in 2020. In 2019, the CSO received 196,200 completed forms and in 2021 it received 179,100 completed forms. The lower number of returns in 2021 compared to 2019 (-8.7%) reflects the ongoing difficulties experienced by businesses due to COVID-19. See Tables 2,3 and Figure 1.

Excluding the annual June farm survey and 2020 Census of Agriculture, the number of forms collected in other business surveys was 187,000 in 2019, 167,000 in 2020 and 173,000 in 2021.

Figure 1: Response Burden Index, 2013 = 100

There are 501,600 active business enterprises (including farms) in Ireland, according to the latest estimate.

The CSO issued 314,300 surveys forms to these enterprises in 2021, or an average of 0.63 survey forms per enterprise.

There were 179,100 forms returned as partially or wholly completed in 2021, representing an average of 0.36 forms per enterprise. See Table 3.

The estimated total number of hours spent by businesses on responding to surveys in 2021 was 214,400 or an average of 26 minutes per business, measured on the basis of forms at least partially completed and actually returned to the CSO (i.e. based on actual compliance). See Table 3 & Methodology.

Table 2: Total Administrative Burden, actual compliance (Response Burden Index), 2013 = 100

Forms Issued and Returned

If all survey forms issued by the CSO were partially or wholly completed and returned (i.e. if there had been full compliance), then the total number of hours spent on this task by enterprises in Ireland in 2021 would have been 296,800, or an average of 35.5 minutes per enterprise. See Table 3 & Methodology.

Figure 2: Forms Issued and Returned, 2019 - 2021
Table 3: Forms, Time taken to complete forms, Administrative Burden, All Surveys

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