Survey on Technology Use by Businesses (STUB)

Detailed information for 2026

The purpose of the 2026 Survey on Technology Use by Businesses (STUB) is to measure the impacts of technology use, including cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), on the operations of Canadian enterprises.

• Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s)
• Description
• Data sources and methodology

Description

The Survey on Technology Use by Businesses (STUB) is designed to measure the impacts of technology use, with particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, on the operations of Canadian enterprises.

The STUB also includes indicators on online presence, involvement in e-commerce, and use of data and cloud computing services by enterprises. Skills and employment in technology-related jobs are also examined.

The data from this survey will be used by government departments to develop policies and programs that help improve Canada's innovation system and strengthen the overall economy.

The results from this survey are also monitored by international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for benchmarking purposes and to study the adoption and economic impacts of digital technologies, including AI.

Reference period: The 12-month calendar year

Collection period: October of the reference year through February of the next year

Subjects

• Business and government internet use
• Information and communications technology
• Innovation
• Science and technology

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population was derived from Statistics Canada's Business Register (BR). The BR is an information database on the Canadian business population and serves as a frame for all Statistics Canada business surveys. It is a structured list of businesses engaged in the production of goods and services in Canada.

This survey covers enterprises operating in Canada in almost all industrial sectors. The industries in the target population are based on the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Sectors 11, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 33, 41, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 61, 62, 71, 72 and 81 were included. The following entities were excluded to arrive at the target population:

- Government entities;
- Enterprises with less than 5 employee;
- Enterprises in specific industries, identified by the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). These industries are: corporate, regional and subsidiary management offices and companies (551114), private households (814) and public administration (91);
- Enterprises from sectors 11, 23, 48, 49, 53, 54, 56, 61, 62, 71, 72 and 81 with a revenue less than $100K;
- Enterprises from sectors 21, 22, 31, 32, 33, 41, 44, 45, 51, 52 and 55 with a revenue less than $250K.

Instrument design

The survey data will be collected using an electronic questionnaire.

The questionnaire had major revisions compared to the previous version, the 2023 Survey of Digital Technologies and Internet Use, to better meet policy needs and to better align with surveys conducted by other national statistical offices. Subject matter experts, private businesses and external stakeholders were also consulted during the content development process.

Cognitive testing of the questionnaire content was carried in conjunction with the Questionnaire Design Resource Center based at Statistics Canada in both official languages. The resulting comments and analysis of these interviews led to revisions of the questionnaire to make the questions more relevant to respondents and easier to answer.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.

The survey frame was constructed by selecting all enterprises from the BR that met the definition of the target population.

Enterprises were stratified by province, industry and two sets of size categories to meet the data needs of both domestic and international stakeholders. The size categories are based on the number of employees of the enterprise. The first set of size categories uses the following definitions: small (5-19 employees), medium (20 to 99 employees outside the manufacturing sector and 20 to 499 employees in the manufacturing sector), and large (100 or more employees outside the manufacturing sector and 500 or more employees in the manufacturing sector). The second set of size categories uses the following definitions: small (5-49 employees), medium (50-249 employees), and large (250 or more employees).

The overall size of the survey sample was determined based on the following:

- expected standard errors, for a reported proportion of 50%, ranging from 2.5% to 16.5%, for the various domains;
- a minimum number of 5 sampled enterprises per stratum;
- industries specified at the NAICS2 level for all sectors 11, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32, 33, 41, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 61, 62, 71, 72 and 81;
- a response rate of 65%.

A proportional allocation of the sample was done in each of the stratum defined by the domains. The probability of a particular enterprise being selected in the survey sample is determined by the number of enterprises selected in the stratum and the population size of the stratum.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2026-10-20 to 2027-02-18

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

Data are collected through an electronic questionnaire. Businesses are initially contacted by telephone during a pre-contact phase to identify an appropriate contact within the enterprise to respond to the survey.

Follow-up because of non-response, inconsistent or missing data is done by phone on a priority basis.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .