The annual UK Archive Sector survey is now open! 

National Records of Scotland and the Scottish Council on Archives have partnered with archives from across the UK to deliver the 2026 annual survey of the sector. 

This survey will gather data required to further develop a rich, consistent picture of UK archives. The results, added to those from last year’s survey, will support effective advocacy on behalf of archives, locally and nationally. It’s crucial we hear from as many services as possible, particularly from those who completed the survey in previous years. This helps us to conduct trends analysis and it informs our evidence based decision making. 

The National Archives will publish a report of its findings, along with the survey dataset. This will help services to benchmark their performance against others.  

The deadline for completing this survey is Friday 29 May 2026.  

Please note, each archive service only needs to submit one response, even if they operate from multiple sites.  

You can fill in the survey online: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ArchiveSectorSurvey26/ 

Supporting information is available via the National Archives website: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/our-archives-sector-role/annual-uk-archive-sector-survey/ 

This includes guidance and a Word version of the questionnaire to help you plan your answers. 

Please note, final responses must be made through the online survey link.  

Thank you in advance for participating. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact NRS at archivels@nrscotland.gov.uk or TNA at simon.mckeon@nationalarchives.gov.uk.