Surveying the farmer survey : a synthesis of research practices in the Netherlands, Slovenia and Sweden

Slijper, Thomas (author), Höhler, Julia (author), Šumrada, Tanja (author), Rommel, Jens (author), Alif, Živa (author), Barreiro-Hurlé, Jesus (author), Dietrich, Anne Sophie (author), Gottlieb, Uliana (author), Ha, Thanh Mai (author), Hakelius, Karin (author), Hansson, Helena (author), Wei Huang, Vivian (author), Knez, Katja (author), Leduc, Gaëlle (author), Lind, Nina (author), De Mey, Yann (author), Novak, Ana (author), Opdenbosch, Harold (author), Owusu-Sekyere, Enoch (author), Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen (author), Perpar, Anton (author), Sok, Jaap (author), Vissers, Luuk (author), Wang, Scarlett (author), Yanore, Lotte (author)

Research based on farmer surveys is a cornerstone of agricultural economics. Farmer surveys provide unique insights into be-havioural variables—such as values, motivations, attitudes, behaviours, and preferences—that are unavailable in secondarydatasets. However, the decline in farm numbers across most European countries, combined with a growing number of surveys,is posing a threat to farmer survey research. This paper synthesises current practices in farmer surveys in the Netherlands,Slovenia, and Sweden. Our approach is meta-scientific, drawing on a survey aimed at researchers responsible for 34 farmersurveys conducted between January 2019 and August 2024. This analysis is complemented by a document analysis and criticalreflection workshops. We identify three key challenges: (i) limited consistency and standardisation of socio-economic surveyquestions, (ii) long surveys, which are associated with high attrition and low response rates, and (iii) low adoption of open sciencepractices. To address these challenges, we propose a set of best practices to enhance the transparency, comparability, standard-isation, and reusability of farmer survey data. These best practices aim to strengthen the quality of survey-based research inagricultural economics and ensure that farmer surveys continue to support evidence-based policymaking.

• Language: English
• Keywords: agriculture, attrition, meta-science, open science, response rate, survey methodology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 10.01.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 460-476
• Numbering: Vol. 77, issue 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183055
• UDC: 631
• ISSN on article: 1477-9552
• DOI: 10.1111/1477-9552.70024
• COBISS.SI-ID: 264285187
• Publication date in RUL: 03.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of agricultural economics
• Shortened title: J. agric. econ.
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
• ISSN: 1477-9552
• COBISS.SI-ID: 515024921

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: kmetijstvo, ekonomika, kmetje, raziskave, ankete, primeri dobre prakse, Nizozemska, Slovenija, Švedska