ISAE Consumer and Business Surveys are carried out in the framework of the EU harmonised scheme. As a consequence, the data resulting from these surveys are fully comparable with those from similar institutes in the European Union (such as the French INSEE and the German IFO).

The Survey synthetic results are disseminated by means of press releases and are available on the ISAE website (Surveys).

Full data with statistical tables and historical series, full-text Surveys and the analytical commenting notes are available on this website three months after their publication (ISAE Congiuntura ). Subscription to the website (Subscription and Sale) is required to receive full data upon publication.

The ISAE website also provides the confidence climate historical series concerning surveys on the manufacturing, business and service sectors and the relating consumer surveys.

Data collection and processing is available at:

Monthly Consumer Survey

Monthly Survey on Manufacturing and Extractive Firms (included Bi-Annual Investment Survey)

International Monthly Comparison on Business and Consumer Surveys

Monthly Survey on Traditional Retail Trade and Large Distribution

Monthly Service Survey

Monthly Survey on Construction Companies

Monthly Consumer Survey

2,000 Italian consumers are surveyed each month by ISAE to collect information on the overall economic situation and the consumers’ personal conditions.

Questions particularly refer to assessments and forecasts on the Italian situation, the employment, the households’ economic conditions, the suitability of saving, the spending purposes and the expected purchase of several durable goods.

A monthly consumers’ confidence climate indicator is elaborated by ISAE on the basis of the aforementioned data. Each month, the confidence climate trend is also analyzed on a territorial basis taking into account four main geographical areas: North-East, North-West, Centre and South (The territorial data were elaborated on a quarterly basis until year 2005 and published in the "Quarterly elaboration of surveys, divided per large territorial areas, on consumers and industrial enterprises" ).

Data dissemination is carried out in the last ten days of the reference month.

Monthly Survey on Manufacturing and Extractive Firms

The cyclical evolution of the manufacturing sector in Italy is monitored by ISAE through the investigation of an updated panel of 4,000 Italian business firms. The main questions refer to the current trend of order books, production and inventories, short-term forecasts on order books, production, prices and the general economic situation. Additional questions are submitted by ISAE on a quarterly basis, with particular reference to the degree of plant utilisation. The export trend is also surveyed on a quarterly basis. Further information on business investments is provided every six months (April and November). Both quantitative data, concerning the effective amount of investment, and qualitative data, concerning the expenditure allocation, are provided.

All data from the survey are used by ISAE to elaborate the firms’ confidence climate indicator. The confidence climate trend is also analyzed each month on a territorial basis and divided into four main geographical areas: North-East, North-West, Centre and South (The territorial data were elaborated on a quarterly basis until year 2005 and published in the "Quarterly elaboration of surveys, divided per large territorial areas, on consumers and industrial enterprises" ).

Data dissemination is carried out in the last ten days of the reference month and refers to the current month.

Monthly International Comparison between Surveys on Manufacturing Firms and Consumers Surveys (only for subscribers)

The ISAE monthly surveys on Manufacturing firms and Consumers are compared each month with similar surveys conducted in the European Union and - limitedly to Consumer Surveys - in the United States.

Monthly Survey on Traditional Retail Trade and Large Distribution

The ISAE Monthly Survey on Traditional Retail Trade and Large Distribution is carried out in the framework of the EU harmonized scheme on a panel of 1,000 firms. The sample comprises two categories of firms, four geographical areas and five activity sectors. The questionnaire includes seven qualitative questions and three answering modalities concerning, in particular, the assessments on business trends, inventories and producer prices, a three-month forecast on order books, the number of employed workers and the selling prices and a six-month forecast on the general business trend.

ISAE also elaborates a confidence climate indicator on trade calculated as the average balances of replies concerning assessments and expectations on business trends and inventory levels.

Data dissemination is carried out in the last days of the third decade of each month and, as from September 2006, it refers to the current month.

Monthly Service Survey

The Monthly ISAE Service Survey started in 1992 on a quarterly basis on a panel of about 1,000 Italian business firms operating in the service-to-production sector (software industries, engineering, marketing, advertising, accounting, administration and management consultancy, machinery and equipment renting, research and development, waste disposal). The main questions concern assessments and short-term expectations on major variables, such as order books, turnover, employment, prices and the general economic trend.

Since January 2003, Surveys are carried out on a monthly basis, with the investigated sample extended from 1,000 to 2,000 firms. The sample comprises all market services, including hotels and restaurants, transportation, real estate activities, financial services, postal and telecommunication services. The confidence climate indicator is also elaborated.

Data dissemination is carried out at the end of the reference month.

Monthly Survey on Construction Companies

ISAE started disseminating the results of its Monthly Survey on Construction Companies in February 2006. The survey is regularly carried out on a monthly basis in the framework of the EU harmonised scheme on a panel of 500 construction firms with 3 or more operators.

ISAE elaborates a confidence climate indicator on the whole sector calculated as the average seasonal adjusted balances of replies concerning assessments on order books and employment prospects.

Data dissemination is carried out at the end of each month following the month of reference.