The Quarterly Business Sentiments Survey is for businesses in the D.C. region to share their perspective and provides timely insights about the local business community’s experiences. The information this survey captures is not available elsewhere and complements economic data to create a more complete picture of business conditions in the District. Elected officials, the media, and D.C. residents use the survey insights to inform policymaking and reporting.
The Quarter 4 2026 Business Sentiments is now open. The survey will be available through November 5, at 11:59 PM.
The 2026 Quarter 1 Business Sentiments Survey captured insights into expectations for the local, regional, and national economies over the next six months, recent business experiences, and perceptions on current hiring conditions.
The D.C. Policy Center’s Alice Rivlin Initiative on Economic Policy & Competitiveness launched the Business Sentiments Survey in January 2024. The objective of the survey is to provide real-time information on the business community’s experiences to elected officials, the media, and the public.
The quarterly survey elicits businesses’ six-month economic expectations and recent experiences with customer demand, staffing, and revenue in the last three months. The survey also provides an opportunity for business leaders to share their own insights about local business conditions.
Using the survey’s results, the Rivlin Initiative offers actionable insights to steer policy in productive directions. The D.C. Policy Center publishes trends and aggregate-level results. We will never share individual responses or publish results that could be linked to a particular business.
Create timely insights. Your responses help elected officials, the media, and the public understand what the business community is experiencing.
Contribute to informed decision-making. What we learn from you will provide actionable insights to steer policies in productive directions going forward.
No more than 20 minutes. You can participate on your phone or your computer.
Four times a year. The survey is distributed in mid-January, mid-April, mid-July, and mid-October.
D.C. region businesses. All businesses—currently located in the D.C. region—are welcome to participate.
For those with business-wide knowledge. The survey should be completed by someone knowledgeable about the business’s overall outlook and high-level decisions.
For questions or to share your additional insights on current local business conditions, please contact Daniel Burge, Director of the Rivlin Initiative by email at daniel@dcpolicycenter.org.
