Investment Survey

The KOF investment survey is affiliated with the business tendency surveys of ETH Zurich's KOF Swiss Economic Institute and its aim is to record an up-to-date account of investment activity by Swiss businesses.

Capital investments are subject to significant cyclical fluctuations and are strongly correlated with GDP rates. The investment survey is carried out in order to provide an early indication of investment trends in the spring and autumn of each year and contains questions concerning investment planning and goals, the factors influencing these and the targets for foreign direct investment (see the questionnaire). Questions relate to amounts invested both in the past and in future. This enables inferences to be drawn concerning the realisation of investment plans. In the survey, businesses are requested to break down their capital investments into investments in equipment and construction investments, as well as investments in research and development. This enables the current investment cycle to be ascertained effectively and in detail. In order to guarantee the international comparability of the results of the KOF investment survey, the current range of questions in the survey complies with the requirements of the harmonised EU programme of surveys.

Survey participants are drawn from a sample of private businesses from industry, construction and the service sector which is representative in terms of employees. Around 6,000 firms are written to as part of the investment survey by ETH Zurich's KOF Swiss Economic Institute, out of which an average of more than 2,000 participate.

In order to take account of the constantly changing composition of the Swiss economy and to make up for withdrawals by participant businesses, additional newly incorporated businesses are incorporated into the panel during each survey round.

Businesses may answer the investment survey in German, French, Italian or English. In addition, each business may fill in the survey in the traditional manner on paper or directly over the internet.