How Funny the Polls Can Be!

A current survey by the NBFE is obviously, in the opinion of many, suspected to be slanted. The NBFE has recently released this survey to gather statistics to represent opinion in the personal training community concerning state licensure and board standardization. These “statistics” will be, by their own words, presented to state governments in connection with discussions and/or legislation concerning forcing personal trainers to obtain a state license to practice. Upon examination of the NBFE survey, one will find that the questions are set up to show state licensure in a good light. The NBFE claims to not be promoting state licensure, yet state licensure for personal trainers is the explicitly supported focus in 10 out of the 13 questions on the survey, with the remaining 3 questions leading to indirect support of licensure. Also, why are they "surveying" about licensure anyway? Perhaps to garnish some unscientific support data that would allow them to lobby for licensure while saying it is what "the trainers in the trenches" want. I mean, just perhaps.

Now, I have debated this topic with staunch NBFE supporters and have been accused of 'reading into' the survey and seeing what I want to see. The fact remains that the questions are written in the positive sense concerning licensure. Not one question reads like, "Do you agree that licensure would raise your costs and make practicing your profession more difficult?" thereby pointing to some negative consequence of licensure. Instead, it is, "Licensing of personal trainers will increase the perception of professionalism of personal trainers in the public eye." Licensure, throughout the survey, is never connected to any negative consequence, only positive.

Another point to note is that the advertising of the survey was primarily limited to trainers from within certification organizations that are listed as NBFE affiliates. This means that the majority of the trainers surveyed have more than likely been coached with pro-NBFE material for 2 to 3 years now!

Over 100 informed, high level fitness professionals and decision-makers as well as insurance company reps, health club chain reps, etc., all met at an open panel discussion at the Club Industry event in late Sept, 2005, to include NBFE reps, and it was unanimously and overwhelmingly agreed that licensure would hurt our industry. NBFE reps made no apposing comments. The NBFE obviously is not taking this into consideration.

This raises the question, “Is the NBFE survey a push poll?” A “push poll” is an unscientific poll or survey used to elicit a desired response. Polls such as these damage the democratic process by delivering a seriously flawed and biased picture of the situation. This inaccurate information could then be used to manipulate the writing of legislation. In other words, people could be guided into supporting something that may actually be against their own best interests? My answer to that is, yes, people can be mislead into hurting themselves. It happens everyday.