UK Entrepreneurs And Unmet Demand Survey 2026

90% of UK Entrepreneurs Surveyed Would Use a Website to Identify Unmet Demand

Could identifying unmet demand help more people find viable business opportunities? We surveyed 100 UK entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to find out how useful they would find information about unmet demand, emerging shortages and new opportunities.

The results suggest considerable interest. 90% of respondents said they would use a free website that identifies unmet demand for products and services they could potentially supply as a business opportunity.

Interest was equally high in information about looming shortages, while a large majority also said they would consider acting on opportunities identified and would sign up to receive free email alerts.

Current And Aspiring Entrepreneurs Gave Similar Answers

The survey included 54 people currently engaged in entrepreneurship and 46 people who intend to become entrepreneurs in the future.

One of the more interesting findings was how similar the responses from the two groups were.

The similarity is notable. For example, 90.7% of current entrepreneurs said they would use a free service identifying unmet demand, compared with 89.1% of aspiring entrepreneurs.

There was also a high level of stated willingness to act. 87.0% of current entrepreneurs said they would consider acting on a relevant opportunity identified, compared with 82.6% of aspiring entrepreneurs.

Given the size of the two subgroups, these differences should not be interpreted as evidence that one group is more interested than the other. The more useful finding is that high levels of interest were recorded in both groups.

What Do The Results Tell Us?

The survey does not tell us whether somebody who expresses an interest in an opportunity will ultimately act on it. Nor does it establish that an opportunity identified from changing demand will necessarily be commercially viable.

What it does provide is evidence of stated demand for information that could help people identify changes in demand and supply earlier.

That distinction is important. Finding evidence that demand is increasing or supply is tightening is only a starting point. Anyone considering acting on a signal still needs to investigate factors such as market size, competition, costs, availability, margins and whether the demand is likely to persist.

The results nevertheless suggest that this type of information is of interest not only to people considering entrepreneurship, but also to people already engaged in it.

Why We Carried Out The Research

We conducted the survey as part of the development of Demand Hunt, our free service that looks for unusual changes in demand and supply across the UK.

Demand Hunt covers two broad areas: potential business opportunities created by unmet or changing demand, and potential shortages where availability may be tightening.

Rather than simply assuming people would find this type of information useful, we wanted to ask entrepreneurs and people considering entrepreneurship directly. The findings will help inform how the service develops, including the signals we monitor and the free email alerts available to people who want to hear about new findings.

Survey Methodology

The research was conducted on 30 September 2026 using an online research panel.

The sample consisted of 100 UK respondents: 54 people currently engaged in entrepreneurship and 46 people who intend to become entrepreneurs in the future.

Respondents were asked a series of Yes/No questions about their interest in information concerning unmet demand, shortages, business opportunities and email alerts.

The percentages reported in this article describe the responses of this sample. They should not be interpreted as estimates for the entire UK population.

The research was commissioned by Free Marketing Ideas as part of the development of Demand Hunt.