Third, survey research contains some limitations. The
length and complexity of the survey might dissuade some
CSA members from responding. Close-ended questions
likewise do not permit respondents to elaborate. Online
surveys contain biases. Individuals without an e-mail are
excluded from participating, and those who do participate
in online surveys tend to be younger and highly educated.
Tempering this limitation, studies of CSA members
(Durrenberger 2002; Kane and Lohr 1997; Kolodinsky and
Pelch 1997; Lang 2010) show respondents tend to be well
educated too. Minorities with low Internet penetration rates
and individuals with low levels of digital fluency might be
disinclined to participate. Technical glitches such as crashes, error messages and double entry are possible. For this
study, only members with e-mail and whose CSA farmers/
managers forwarded the survey received an invitation to
participate.7 Since respondents are self-selecting the sample may not be representative of CSA members in New
York causing unintended biases. Many of these limitations
also are found with mail-in surveys (Wright 2005)