Naother perspective is that this is a self-selecting mechanism in that those that really can enjoy this hobby more often than not have the discretionary income to do so, regularly.

Having spoken to providers about thier clientel I hear that many guys are rather comfortable, financially speaking. So it was no surprise that the results were skewed to the high end. I agree, though, to a finer point that the scale was not very representative. Mybe they could redo it with a little higher end on it.

In any survey, there is a margin of error that is assumed, given that a blind survey typically results in a predictable degree of self reporting biases (meaning wishful thinking).

My only concnern is that if we reprot a higher income level, would that encourage the providors to increase their rates?

Hmmm... Maybe we should lie the other way? :^)

D'Dog

Interesting perspective on how much money this is and the people that make over 100k!  I assure you, it really isn't all that much money.  I know, I know, it seems like a lot when you are only bring 20-30k but those with annual income around 100k also have commensurate liabilities.  I would venture that these people are your biggest "penny pinchers"!  But people that make seven figures or more STILL watch their spending closely.  $400 is still $400 to them and they do not consider it pocket change.  

Interesting data to look at might be "where" the higher income levels spend their cash on this sport.  I would expect that they tend to go more for the higher priced providers but perhaps not!

There's an old rule of thumb that if someone has twice as much money as you, then you think that person is wealthy. I know this works for me, but I wonder if it works for Bill Gates.

The other rule of thumb (this one from the Stanley book, "The Millionare Next Door") is that just having a high income doesn't mean you're wealthy. The idea that all lawyers, doctors, stockbrockers etc. are rich just because they have a high salary didn't pan out. The tendency in the U.S. is to spend almost every dollar you make, and this is especially so if you live in toney areas like La Jolla, Del Mar, drive fancy sports cars, etc. My guess is that the typical hobbyist with a high salary has to watch his pennies as carefully as us poor folks.

Why are rich people so price-conscious? Because that's how they got rich! Read "The Millionaire Next Door" for some clear indicators that the typically wealthy are not typical spenders.

Furthermore, maybe the survey is a skewed represetation of TER membeship. For example, maybe the discussion boards are where all the poor people on TER go. The rich guys log in, vote once on their income, then hit the search page, efficiently find a hot provider for a great deal, and don't ever waste time (time is, after all, money) on such trivialities as talk talk talk. Us poor guys, on the other hand, blather on and on and then at the end of the night lose $400 that we didn't have to spend, on a dance-n-dash girl we really ought not to have called, who isn't positively reviewed here. Maybe.

Don't forget the survey includes inputs from "providers" too.  Do you know how easy it is to make over 100K cash/year for a provider?

Where do I find this survey?

I think a survey like this can lead people to the wrong conclusions.  You're thinking that someone who falls into the $100K+ category is wealthy.  The person who answers that they make $100K annually might very well be the only bread winner for the family.  Still sounds like a lot, and in most areas of the country it absolutely is.  But a total household income of 100K in San Diego, with a few kids, a spouse, a couple of car payments (I'm talking Chevy, not Mercedes here), a mortgage, etc. etc., leaves you with very little disposable income.