FT-Economist Business Barometer: May 2012

Carried out four times a year for the Financial Times and The Economist by the Economist Intelligence Unit and based on interviews with more than 1,600 business executives around the world, the barometer highlights the change in business sentiment and differences between regions and sectors.

Three-quarters of the 1,638 executives surveyed between April 13 and May 8 said their businesses had no contingency plans for the break-up of the eurozone, even though the majority said such an outcome would have a significant impact on their companies.

This interactive graphic allows you to explore the survey data and filter results by respondents’ location, industry or seniority.

Methodology

Based on a global survey of the Economist Intelligence Unit executive panel. Respondents were selected from a cross-section of industries, company sizes, and represent a range of senior roles. The survey was conducted online between April 13 and May 8 and had 1,638 respondents.

• Almost half of the executives surveyed were in the so-called c-suite – they held jobs at the very top of companies with titles that included the word “chief” – and almost half of the companies they worked for had a turnover of more than $500m.
• More than a quarter of the executives who responded worked for companies that operate in more than 25 countries.
• Over 30 per cent of the companies surveyed were western European, more than a quarter were from the Asia-Pacific region, nearly 20 per cent from North America and the rest from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and eastern Europe.