The chief characteristic of business opinion surveys is that instead of asking for exact figures, they usually seek the respondent's assessment of the current business situation compared with the "normal" state, i.e. a question on levels, or they ask for an judgement on the direction of changes, i.e. a question on tendency.

Consumer opinion surveys monitor consumer behaviour and generally include topics such as: consumer opinions on the general economic situation; their opinion on their personal financial situation and their ability to save; buying intentions concerning consumer durable goods; and intentions with regard to housing.

Tendency surveys are conducted by the national statistical institute, central banks, or private research institutes in the country concerned. 

The closest thing to international standards for tendency surveys are the harmonised questionnaires developed by the OECD in co-operation with Eurostat and the European Commission from 1991 to 1996. They have also been adopted by many pre-accession countries to the EU, and countries of the former USSR, etc, that have implemented such surveys.

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