Methodology

Study Methodology

The ESEM is a biannual online survey that collects data through the Qualtrics survey platform. Promoted by Euclid Network, the project consortium and over 200 (inter)national outreach partners, the ESEM is targeted towards social enterprises located in participating European countries. After the survey closes, national datasets are cleaned in collaboration with country research partners and collated into a final European dataset.

Standard data cleaning procedures are followed in this process, including the removal of incomplete responses (classified as not meeting the 80% completion threshold, not counting country-specific questions), duplicates (as identified by IP address and personal information) and test responses.

The study’s key filtering criterion is a question on the relative prioritisation of social/environmental impact and financial return/interests in strategic decision making – those respondents prioritising impact equivalent to or greater than financial return are categorised, for the purposes of the study, as social enterprises and included in the final dataset. Those respondents prioritising financial return over impact are removed. However, based on specific details of various country contexts and the expertise of national partners, some respondents not meeting this criteria have been reincluded in past ESEM datasets when adequate justification was given. For further details on the study’s methodology, please see the Methodology sections of the previous ESEM reports.

Questions for the next online survey round in 2026 will be aligned with the World Economic Forum’s methodology for compiling their report on The State of Social Enterprise. As a key European partner, Euclid Network supports the creation of this global report. It is therefore important to harmonise data collection efforts.

Please note that ESEM data, which is based on the perceptions of respondents, cannot be taken as fully representative of the state of social enterprise either within any of the participating countries or across Europe as a whole.

Good Market Collaboration

In 2025, the ESEM joined Good Market, a curated online community of impact driven businesses and social enterprise networks from around the globe. The Good Market community is committed to the global movement towards a more sustainable and equitable economy that prioritises people and the planet over profit maximisation. 

This membership facilitates data collection efforts by deepening and expanding the ESEM’s network. 

Survey Privacy Policy

All survey data is treated confidently, and only aggregated information (no individual answers) is published. All data is stored on European servers, and is only used for the purposes and shared with the partners which respondents have explicitly agreed to. All parties engaging with the data are responsible for its protection and must sign data-sharing agreements to this end. While some personal information is collected through the survey, it is not required and respondents can request at any time that it be altered or deleted, simply by contacting socialenterprisemonitor@euclidnetwork.eu.

Consent for data usage, as indicated by agreement with the privacy policy before beginning the survey, can be revoked at any time. For more details, please download the full survey privacy policy or contact socialenterprisemonitor@euclidnetwork.eu with any questions.