The Reality File

Original research from The Reality Department.

Findings from our own studies of UK businesses and consumers.

Entries
Which diversity moments do UK brands mark? 52% ran an International Women’s Day campaign last time. 33% ran a Pride campaign last time.

Which diversity moments do UK brands mark? Most have done something. Few have done much

52%
of UK marketing teams ran an International Women’s Day campaign last time round

International Women's Day is the only moment most UK marketing teams marked the last time it came round. For Pride, almost as many organisations have stepped back as took part.

300 UK marketing leads · 2026
Finding
The Business Reality Index 37 out of 100: UK business strength in wave one of the Business Reality Index.

What is the Business Reality Index? UK business strength stands at 37

37
The Business Reality Index: UK business strength, out of 100

The Business Reality Index measures how strong UK businesses are, as opposed to how confident they feel. In wave one it stands at 37, and it tells a different story from confidence.

500 UK business decision-makers · Business Reality Index 2026
Finding
How many companies are funding their net zero targets? 55% of organisations have a net zero target. 15% have made it public and fund it above 5% of CapEx.

How many companies are funding their net zero targets? The commitment holds. The money doesn't

15%
of organisations have a public net zero target with real capital behind it

More than half of organisations have a net zero target. Fewer than one in six have made it public and put meaningful capital behind it.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
How do B2B buyers choose a vendor? 74% of B2B purchases went through three or more rounds of internal scrutiny. 50% of shortlist places came from peers or prior familiarity.

How do B2B buyers choose a vendor? The deal is decided long before anyone signs it

We asked 250 B2B buyers, influencers and decision-makers how their last purchase happened. Trust got vendors onto the shortlist, internal review slowed the deal, and what happened after signing decided whether they stayed.

250 UK B2B buyers · 2026
Finding
Graduates think the robots are already hiring 75% of graduates believe employers often use AI to shortlist. 40% of hiring managers report using AI in CV screening.

Graduates think the robots are already hiring. Employers say otherwise

75%
of graduates think employers use AI to shortlist. 40% of hiring managers say they do

We asked 250 UK hiring managers and 250 UK graduates the same questions about AI. On screening, on job cuts and on readiness, the two sides describe different job markets.

250 UK graduates, 250 hiring managers · 2026
Finding
The say-do gap: what organisations say, and what they resource

The say-do gap: what organisations say, and what they resource

In four separate studies this year, on climate, business risk, ED&I and graduate hiring, we found the same shape. A commitment that is widely held, and a much smaller number who have put money, people or structure behind it.

Four studies · 2026
Finding
Why do brands run ED&I campaigns, and what stops them? 58% run ED&I campaigns because it is the right thing to do. 26% of those that don’t are held back by fear of backlash.

Why do brands run ED&I campaigns, and what stops them? It isn't fear of backlash

Marketing teams that run ED&I campaigns mostly say they do it because it is right. Those that don't are held back by people and permission, well ahead of worries about getting it wrong.

300 UK marketing leads · 2026
Finding
What are UK businesses most worried about in 2026? 75% are concerned about employment costs and National Insurance. 64% are concerned about energy costs.

What are UK businesses most worried about in 2026? Cost comes first, second and third

75%
of UK business leaders are concerned about employment costs and National Insurance

Three in four UK business leaders are concerned about employment costs. The top three worries are all costs, and tax policy is the factor most likely to shape long-term plans.

500 UK business decision-makers · Business Reality Index 2026
Finding
The four types of company on climate 27% Integrators: committed and built. 28% Declarers: a target and not much else.

The four types of company on climate: Integrators, Declarers, Under claimers and Absentees

Two groups of companies announce net zero targets at almost the same rate. One funds them. The other mostly doesn't. From the outside they look identical.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
How do B2B buyers use AI in vendor research? 77% of B2B buyers used AI in vendor research. 21% of them fully trust its recommendations.

How do B2B buyers use AI in vendor research? To check, more than to choose

77%
of B2B buyers used an AI tool in vendor research

Nearly eight in ten B2B buyers used an AI tool during their last purchase. The most common use was fact-checking a vendor they had already found, and only one in five fully trusts what it tells them.

250 UK B2B buyers · 2026
Finding
Do employers use AI to screen CVs? 40% of hiring managers report using AI in CV screening. 75% of graduates believe it is used often.

Do employers use AI to screen CVs? Two in five say they do. Three in four graduates assume it

Graduates believe AI screening is now standard. Most hiring managers say they don't use it. The 35-point gap between belief and reported practice shapes how graduates apply.

250 UK graduates, 250 hiring managers · 2026
Finding
How confident are marketers talking about ED&I? 77% of public sector marketing leads are confident discussing ED&I at work. 50% of private sector marketing leads.

How confident are marketers talking about ED&I? It depends where they work

Just over half of UK marketing leads are confident discussing ED&I topics with colleagues. In the public sector it is three in four. In the private sector it is half.

300 UK marketing leads · 2026
Finding
How many UK businesses use AI? 68% of UK businesses use AI in some form. 25% have it only through employees using it informally.

How many UK businesses use AI? Two in three, and a quarter of them by accident

68%
of UK businesses use AI in some form. In 25%, only informally

Two-thirds of UK businesses are using AI in some form. In a quarter of all organisations, that use is informal: employees have adopted it without the organisation deciding anything.

500 UK business decision-makers · Business Reality Index 2026
Finding
Why are companies going quiet on climate? 53% of organisations that went quiet on climate still fund it above 5% of CapEx. 34% of those that weakened their target do.

Why are companies going quiet on climate? The quiet ones are often doing the most

Saying less about climate is usually read as doing less. Our data points the other way: organisations that have lowered the volume are more likely to be funding the work than those that weakened their targets.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
How do vendors get onto a B2B shortlist? 50% of shortlist places come from a peer recommendation or prior familiarity. 12% come from an AI tool.

How do vendors get onto a B2B shortlist? Half come from someone the buyer already trusted

50%
of B2B shortlist places come from a peer recommendation or prior familiarity

A peer's recommendation or the buyer's own prior experience accounts for half of all shortlist places. Vendor outreach accounts for one in five.

250 UK B2B buyers · 2026
Finding
Is AI reducing graduate jobs? 58% of graduates expect AI to reduce graduate roles this year. 8% of employers are cutting with AI as a major factor.

Is AI reducing graduate jobs? Graduates expect it. Employers' plans say otherwise

8%
of employers are cutting graduate hiring with AI as a major factor

Most graduates think AI will shrink the graduate job market this year. About one employer in twelve is cutting graduate hiring with AI as a major reason.

250 UK graduates, 250 hiring managers · 2026
Finding
Are employers ready for ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting? 35% have their ethnicity and disability pay gap data. 28% plan to communicate it externally.

Are employers ready for ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting? A third have the data

35%
of UK organisations have their ethnicity and disability pay gap data

Around a third of UK organisations have their ethnicity and disability pay gap data, according to their marketing leads. Fewer plan to say anything about it in public.

300 UK marketing leads · 2026
Finding
What disrupts UK businesses, and how long does recovery take? 91% of UK businesses were significantly disrupted in the last two years. 37% of them took more than a week to recover.

What disrupts UK businesses, and how long does recovery take?

Nine in ten UK businesses were significantly disrupted in the last two years. The most common cause was a cyber incident, and more than a third took over a week to recover.

500 UK business decision-makers · Business Reality Index 2026
Finding
Do businesses support mandatory climate disclosure? 71% of UK sustainability leaders support mandatory climate disclosure. 39% of US sustainability leaders.

Do businesses support mandatory climate disclosure? In the UK, most do

71%
of UK sustainability leaders support mandatory climate disclosure. US: 39%

Seven in ten UK sustainability leaders support mandatory climate disclosure. In the US, it is four in ten. The same gap runs through every climate policy we tested.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
What slows down B2B deals? 45% say security or procurement review was the biggest source of delay. 57% of deals saw formal review start after the demo or at signing.

What slows down B2B deals? Security and procurement, arriving late

45%
of B2B buyers say security or procurement review was the biggest source of delay

Security and procurement review is the biggest single source of delay in B2B purchases, named nearly twice as often as anything else. In most deals it doesn't start until after the demo.

250 UK B2B buyers · 2026
Finding
Are graduates ready for an AI workplace? 50% of hiring managers say this year’s graduates are better prepared. 22% of graduates agree.

Are graduates ready for an AI workplace? Employers think so. Graduates don't

66%
of graduates doubt they are building the AI skills their career will need

Half of hiring managers say this year's graduates are better prepared than previous cohorts. Two in three graduates doubt they are building the AI skills they will need.

250 UK graduates, 250 hiring managers · 2026
Finding
How are UK businesses planning to grow? 86% of UK businesses plan to diversify. 51% plan new products or services.

How are UK businesses planning to grow? Almost all of them plan to diversify

86%
of UK businesses plan to diversify

Nearly nine in ten UK businesses plan to diversify, most often through new products or new customers. Six in ten are confident about growth.

500 UK business decision-makers · Business Reality Index 2026
Finding
What is stopping companies investing in decarbonisation? 56% United States: policy and regulatory uncertainty. 43% United Kingdom: grid connection delays.

What is stopping companies investing in decarbonisation? The US and UK give different answers

56%
of US sustainability leaders say policy uncertainty is holding back decarbonisation

Cost is a barrier on both sides of the Atlantic. Beyond that, the US problem is political and the UK problem is physical.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
Why do B2B buyers regret a purchase? 59% of B2B buyers report low regret about the vendor they chose. 9% report significant regret.

Why do B2B buyers regret a purchase? Regret is earned after signing

Most B2B buyers don't regret the vendor they chose. When they do, the cause is usually what happened after the contract, not the decision itself.

250 UK B2B buyers · 2026
Finding
How are graduates using AI to get hired? 55% of graduates have used AI to write or edit their CV. 33% have rethought their career path over AI.

How are graduates using AI to get hired? Daily, and with doubts

More than half of graduates use AI to write their CV. A third have rethought their career because of it. Fluency with the tools sits alongside real doubt about where they lead.

250 UK graduates, 250 hiring managers · 2026
Finding
How are UK businesses funding growth? 55% of businesses planning investment will fund it from retained profits. 25% will use bank lending or an overdraft.

How are UK businesses funding growth? Mostly from their own margin

More than half of UK businesses planning investment will pay for it from retained profits. Over one in five will rely on internal cash alone.

500 UK business decision-makers · Business Reality Index 2026
Finding
Are companies planning for physical climate risk? 48% have assessed their physical climate risk. 12% have a board-approved adaptation plan.

Are companies planning for physical climate risk? Half have assessed it. One in eight has a plan

12%
of organisations have a board-approved plan for physical climate risk

Organisations are planning to cut emissions. Far fewer are planning for the floods, heat and storms that arrive whether or not the target is met.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
What makes B2B customers switch supplier? 26% of renewal reviews were triggered by a price increase. 24% by dissatisfaction with the product.

What makes B2B customers switch supplier? Price and service, far more than features

A price increase or dissatisfaction with the product triggers half of all renewal reviews. What would have tipped customers into leaving is mostly about how they were treated.

250 UK B2B buyers · 2026
Finding
Does company size affect climate action? 54% of organisations under 250 employees have no climate governance at all. 12% of those with 20,000 or more.

Does company size affect climate action? Size buys capability. It doesn't buy commitment

Small organisations are as likely as large ones to have made a public net zero commitment. They are far less likely to have anything behind it.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
Where does climate rank among business challenges? 44% of sustainability leaders put climate in their organisation’s top three challenges. 56% leave it out.

Where does climate rank among business challenges? Even climate leads leave it out of their top three

56%
of sustainability leaders leave climate out of their organisation’s top three challenges

We asked the people responsible for climate at 500 organisations to name their employer's biggest strategic challenges. Fewer than half included climate.

500 US and UK sustainability leaders · 2026
Finding
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