The Yellow Pages as a sampling frame for farm surveys: Assessing potentialbias in agri-environmental research

The Yellow Pages business directory has often been used as a sampling frame to select respondents for farm surveys. Studies in the UK have suggested t hat the directory both provides a sufficiently accurate estimate of populat ion parameters for most purposes and offers the best alternative when the c omprehensive MAFF lists are not available. However, two recent studies of f armers in the Marston Value Community Forest and the Cambrian Mountains ESA scheme demonstrate that drawing samples from the Yellow Pages may exclude less-commercial or 'life-style' farmers. These farmers, although still deri ving much of their income from farming (unlike 'hobby' farmers), are genera lly more conservation-oriented in their environmental management approach a nd farm on a lower profit margin. Consequently, it is strongly recommended that caution be exercised when using the Yellow Pages as a sampling frame f or environmental management research. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.