This year’s Big Freelancer Survey is live. Here are a few questions you may have and a reminder of why we REALLY need you to make this FINAL year’s the biggest one yet …
1. There are lots of surveys out there – do I really need to fill in this one too?
The Big Freelancer Survey is the only survey of freelancers, by freelancers, for freelancers. There are many surveys out there, but this one is UNIQUE – it’s the only one to provide a detailed picture over a whole five-year period. No one else has been doing this since 2020, each year but BFS. The data we’ve gathered since 2020, on 12,500+ freelancers, is held by Freelancers Make Theatre Work and will never be shared with anyone else. This is your survey – for you - and provides a unique chance to make your voice heard. The survey findings help to inform the work that FMTW and other organisations do to support freelancers, and to advocate and lobby on your behalf. The BFS is referred to by politicians advocating for freelancers in parliament, it’s used in meetings with DCMS and other government departments, it’s cited by arts councils, and at industry conferences. And the BFS is widely referenced in the media, making sure the issues that matter most to you get heard by the right people – all thanks to your efforts in taking part. It’s YOU we need to hear from – so please fill in this year’s survey.
If you have any visual needs and are not a screen user and/or don't use a screen reader, please do let us know if you would like to complete the survey via a phone call. We'd be very happy to offer this to anyone who needs it - please just get in touch.
2. I already filled in surveys for FMTW in previous years. Do I need to do this year’s?
Yes, if you have responded to previous Big Freelancer Surveys, thank you so much – and welcome back! As we said, the BFS is a unique five-year project that allows us to get a detailed picture of the freelance workforce’s experiences from COVID-19, when we started in 2020, up to the present day. This means that at the end of this study, we can use the results of all FIVE surveys to look closely at the issues that BFS has raised. We have a five-year data set that we can use to highlight what has improved for freelancers (not much!), what has stayed the same, and what has got worse, identifying the really key issues that still to be tackled. This year’s survey is in a similar format to previous years so if you’ve taken part before – again, thank you – this year’s questions and format should feel familiar. We’ve used all of the feedback we gathered in our efforts to make this final survey as relevant, and as readable as possible. We hope we’re asking the questions that you’ve told us matter most to you.
3. Why do you need to gather so much demographic data – age, gender, ethnic background and so on?
We know this is a lot of work to get through at the start of the survey. Getting this data really helps us to examine the detail of specific issues and to understand how they impact most on different groups of people. Some of these issues include disabled people’s experiences of the workplace, inequalities in pay, and ageism in different parts of the sector. Having the demographic data in the format we ask for it also allows us to compare the results of this survey directly with those from other surveys, so that we can add to, and even challenge, other survey results. Remember, you’re welcome to skip any of the demographic questions if you’d prefer to – your responses to the rest of the survey will still be recorded and are every bit as valuable. But for the reasons we’ve said, this demographic data is invaluable to FMTW and the work we do on your behalf.
4. Why do you need so much information on my income and financial status?
BFS 2024 continued to show that the overall levels of income and insecurity among freelancers are shockingly low. This year, we’re taking a closer look at pay and related issues (as low pay underpins so many of the challenges that freelancers face), focusing not just on current experiences but also on your expectations for the future – for your work as a freelancer, and for the sector. We really want to understand more about what you think needs to change for freelancers to be able to get into, and stay, in the sector. If you’re not sure of the exact detail for any of the questions we ask you, please just share your best estimate – this will do just fine. And as always, if you’d rather skip any of the questions, please feel free to do that.
5. Why are you asking about personal issues like physical and mental health?
There is a lot of research showing that health and wellbeing is a serious, ongoing problem for many freelancers, shaped by low pay, insecurity, over-work and other challenges. Like last year, we’ve included some questions to take a close look at key issues. We’re aware that we’re asking about some sensitive topics that might be difficult to think about, so you have the option of skipping questions if your prefer. Again, this won’t affect any of your other responses – they’ll all be recorded. Anything you can share is really valued by us. We only ever report on findings anonymously. We also ask you to share details of any examples of best practice you have come across. We only ever share these anonymously, but they really help us to inform freelancers and organisations about what works well to improve the sector for freelancers now and in the future.
6. Why are there no Scottish Gaelic and Irish versions of the survey this year?
In 2022 and 2023, we had some funding to produce versions of the survey in English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish. Unfortunately, we no longer have this. We believe it’s important that all freelancers are paid fairly. Translation is skilled work that takes time, and we just don’t have the funding to cover it. But thanks to the generosity of a donor, we do have a Welsh language version again this year. If you have any questions or feedback for us on this aspect of the survey, please do get in touch.
7. What happens to my data after I’ve responded to the survey?
The raw data from each Big Freelancer Survey remains within FMTW and our partners at the University of Essex and is treated with complete confidentiality. All responses are anonymous and will also be further anonymised when we report on our findings. Our aim is ALWAYS that no respondent should be identifiable from any of their data, no matter how detailed it is.
As we have done every year since 2020, our findings will be presented in a report. This is scheduled for release in June this year. The raw data and the primary analysis of it will never be shared with any organisations outside FMTW and the survey team. FMTW retains the raw data from each year’s survey. We welcome data analysis requests, though, so having read the report when it’s published, if there’s anything you’d like us to take a closer look, please do get in touch – we want to make sure that BFS does as much ‘work’ for freelancers as it can, helping to make freelance work safer, more secure, more accessible, and more fairly paid for everyone.
8. So do you really need to do this … again?
The five-year Big Freelancer Survey is a unique long-term project which is now approaching its conclusion, and it’s vital to us that as many people as possible complete this year’s, final survey. There have been well over 12,500 responses so far since 2020. We are proud of this survey, of what it is, and what is does and it can only do this thanks to the time and effort of everyone who takes part. It’s crucial, now more than ever, to keep freelancers at the heart of discussions about the future of our sector – not just in theatre, but the whole of the creative arts.
Thanks for all your support over the last few years – now let’s keep up the great work and make 2025 a grand finale! The Big Freelancer Survey 2025 goes live in March – watch this space for more details very soon. If you’ve filled in BFS before – PLEASE DO IT AGAIN. And if you haven’t done one before – NOW is your chance to have your voice heard and to inform the work we do. THANK YOU.