More research findings on education and income related to letterboxing

A 2000-2001 study of growth rates for participation in land-based activities in hiking and orienteering (Cordell, 2004) showed that the likelihood of participation in outdoor adventure activities such as hiking rises as income rises through $75,000 per year, after which participation does not rise appreciably. Although this study of letterboxers asked for family income and not individual income, similar increases in participation was noted with increase in family income. A similar pattern to Cordell’s study emerged in this study of letterboxers that participation did not rise significantly after $75,000.

Cordell’s 2005 study showed that participation percentage also increases with level of education; similar participation percentages were evident in this study of letterboxers. The numbers of participants with college educations were much greater than for those with less than some college, particularly increasing with those with a bachelor’s or Master’s degree.

Hogg’s 1995 research on orienteering suggests that orienteers, like the letterboxers in this study, tend to be well-educated. More than 72% of the participants had completed a bachelor’s degree, special training, or attended or completed graduate school.