Bank News & Financial Literacy
How Meaningful Are Polls?: A Note from our CEO
A Note from our CEO, Scott Soderberg
You probably haven’t heard enough about polls at this point, so let’s talk about them. Ok, sarcasm aside, a discussion about their value is fair game. In the political arena, I always find it entertaining to hear those who are leading in the polls talk about how the numbers prove that the candidate’s message is hitting home. At the same time the candidates who are running behind will say they don’t put much stock in polls and that they are often wrong in the end. Both viewpoints have support from election results throughout history.
Opinion polls are similar, except that results can sometimes be affected by how the questions are asked. For example, the questions may contain interviewer bias (“Are you able to tolerate the food at Joe’s Diner, and if so, what rating would you give it?”) or be loaded questions (“How long ago did you stop eating at Joe’s Diner because of the food quality?”). In the first question, responses may be influenced by the fact the pollster clearly thinks the food is bad at Joe’s, and the second question assumes the respondent and possibly others have stopped eating there altogether.
There are some polls, however, where the questions are straightforward and unambiguous. The Osceola Sun and Country Messenger recently conducted a “Readers’ Choice, Best of the Valley 2024” poll of its readers, asking them to choose the best business, restaurant, etc. in several categories. FNC Bank was nominated in two areas: “Best Bank/Financial Institution”, and “Best Place to Work, Large (Over 50 Staff)”. The nominees in these and all the categories truly represented the very best of Western Wisconsin’s quality establishments. I am extremely thrilled and honored to tell you that we were named the readers’ top choice in both categories!
Back to the question of whether such polls are meaningful. Was this poll scientifically done? No, and the Sun/Messenger wouldn’t make such a claim. But like many other ratings techniques we all encounter and rely upon each day when making important decisions, I believe this one has value for consumers of financial services in our region. Why? Because being chosen in both categories is based on ONE factor—the quality of people that are the FNC Bank staff. We were chosen in both areas because our entire staff cares about our customers and the level of service we provide for them. I never miss an opportunity to tell folks that our bank IS our people. Living that principle is what makes community banks different from other financial institutions. I can’t express in words how proud I am of the FNC Bank family.