Use of ICT by companies
What does the survey consist of?
Purpose
The ‘Use of ICT by companies’ survey collects annual data on automation and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in companies in the Netherlands. This includes internet use, digital commerce, the use of software and other ICT applications such as cloud services and artificial intelligence, as well as security measures taken and the number of incidents that have occurred with respect to ICT security at companies. The results of the survey are important for policymakers, researchers, companies, and trade and sector-specific associations.Target population
Since 2021, Statistics Netherlands has conducted this survey among companies that are based in the Netherlands and have at least one worker. This includes more than 1.1 million businesses. In the 2020 reporting year, the threshold was two workers.Statistical unit
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) maintains a general business register that contains information on companies in the Netherlands as statistical units. This is known as the General Business Register (ABR). Each company represents one business unit. These units are active participants in the production process, and are characterised by their autonomy regarding decisions about the production process and the fact that they offer their products to third parties.Date/year survey started
The study started broadly in its present form in 1983.Frequency
The survey is conducted once a year.Publication strategy
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) publishes the definitive figures immediately. There are no data source that become available at a later point in time which could lead to subsequent adjustments. Results are not adjusted as a result of questionnaires received late.The results of the ‘Use of ICT among businesses’ survey are published in StatLine- and SME StatLinetables.The findings regarding the use of ICT by companies are a cornerstone for CBS’s Dutch-language publication ‘ICT, kennis en economie’ (ICT, Knowledge and the Economy), which has been published annually by CBS since 2011. Every year, it provides extensive data on the use of ICT in the Netherlands and from an international perspective. This publication is the successor to the Dutch-language series De digitale economie and Kennis en economie, which were first published in 2001.
How is the survey conducted?
Survey type
For the statistics on ‘Use of ICT by companies’, integrated observation is carried out for a subset of business units with 100 or more workers. The remainder of the population is surveyed on the basis of a sample. The target populations are surveyed online only. The reference date is 31 December.Respondents
Companies based in the Netherlands with one or more workers.Scope of sample
The sample consists of about 50 thousand companies each year.Checking and correction methods
Consistency is ensured at the micro level first. Next, the aggregated data is compared with the figures for the previous year, and if there are significant discrepancies these are checked again and corrected where possible.Weighting
The companies are classified by a combination of business activity and size (cell). The results are based on a stratified sample: the results for each cell are weighted by the quotient of the number of companies per cell in the population (N) and the number of companies per cell in the net sample (n). The questions on turnover are weighted equally.What is the quality of the results?
Accuracy
This statistic uses both integrated population observation and a representative sample. Item non-response is estimated for quantitative questions.The population frame will never be entirely error-free, and may include under-coverage, over-coverage and classification errors. Over-coverage is a result of units incorrectly included in the frame, such as those that no longer exist or have been taken over. Under-coverage is a result of missing companies that have not yet been included in the frame. Classification errors occur if a company is added to the incorrect business sector or the size of the company is recorded incorrectly.