PR and marketing

At the same time as a prominent financial institution is encouraging people to break up with their current bank, a survey has revealed that over half of regional and rural Australians don’t trust their bank and many believe change is necessary. Banks now face the need to rebuild customer loyalty.

These are the findings of recent survey of 1040 rural and regional Australians conducted by OurPatch, a community web portal. Over half of those surveyed claimed to have lost faith in their bank, with almost 40% considering changing to a different bank.

An overwhelming 84% of people surveyed believe that banks should be regulated and held accountable by a government body.

Director of OurPatch, Simon Van Wyk said, “It’s a real issue that the majority of rural and regional Australians don’t trust banks to operate independently. Either a regulating system needs to be introduced, or banks need to seriously reevaluate their processes.”

It’s not surprising that 60% of those surveyed believe their bank fees are much too high for the service they receive from their bank.

“Rural and regional Australians have a greater choice in banks today compared to the past, and the survey results show that banks need to take this into account and offer quality service and competitive rates and fees to retain customers,” said Mr Van Wyk.

Rural and regional Australians were surveyed about the effects of major issues on their town including job availability, quality of life and cost of resources.

-ends-

About OurPatch and the survey
OurPatch is network of websites covering most of rural and regional Australia. OurPatch is the civic centre for the internet age with business and community information, local news and events and community engagement. They aim to deliver local news to rural and regional Australia.

The survey of 1040 rural and regional Australians over the age of 18 was carried out in late December 2010, covering all states and territories of Australia and representing all demographics. http://www.ourpatch.com.au/

Rural and regional Australians are unprepared for the impact a faster internet service will have on their businesses and everyday lives when the National Broadband Network (NBN) is introduced – with many seeming confused about what the changes will mean for them.

These are the findings of a recent survey of 1040 rural and regional Australians conducted by OurPatch, a community web portal. The survey revealed confusion over the NBN with contradictory opinions surfacing about whether any impact will even be noticeable, especially to their businesses.

Almost a third of those surveyed believe the NBN will not impact or improve their business, despite over half believing they will actually receive better service from other businesses.

Director of OurPatch, Simon Van Wyk said, “Regional and rural Australians don’t seem to understand the incredible potential of the NBN. Many business owners don’t believe their customer numbers or orders will increase, which shows a real lack of education about what the NBN can actually lead to.”

The survey showed that while 65 percent of those surveyed believe the NBN will have a significant and positive impact upon everyday life, 61 percent are unwilling to pay for faster internet.

“The NBN will not only impact everyday life, but also bring fantastic opportunities and the potential for increased revenue in business, with faster internet improving productivity and bringing a much wider scope for business services. Yet many Australians are unwilling to pay for it,” said Mr Van Wyk.

Rural and regional Australians were surveyed about the effects of major issues on their town including job availability, quality of life and cost of resources.

-ends-

About OurPatch and the survey
OurPatch is network of websites covering most of rural and regional Australia. OurPatch is the civic centre for the internet age with business and community information, local news and events and community engagement. They aim to deliver local news to rural and regional Australia.

The survey of 1040 rural and regional Australians over the age of 18 was carried out in late December 2010, covering all states and territories of Australia and representing all demographics. http://www.ourpatch.com.au/

Devastating floods and heavy rainfall have not broken the belief of rural Australians that water restrictions remain an essential part of Australian life.

Despite full water tanks and bursting river banks, many Australians still value water as a scarce commodity and fully expect to see their water bills rise in the future.

A recent survey of 1040 rural and regional Australians conducted by OurPatch, a community web portal, revealed that almost half of those surveyed believe water restrictions are a necessity and strongly support restrictions in their community.

Rural and regional Australians were surveyed about the effects of major issues on their town, including job availability, quality of life and cost of resources like water.

As well as revealing the strong support for water restrictions, the survey showed that the recent abundance of rainfall did not convince many that the price of water would improve, with 85 percent still expecting their water bills to rise.

Director of OurPatch, Simon Van Wyk said, “Years of drought have obviously instilled a strong appreciation for every last drop and rural and regional Australians remain very water conscious.”

“Overall, the results show widespread support for water restrictions and indicate that Australians have accepted water restrictions as a necessary part of life,” said Mr Van Wyk.

-ends-

About OurPatch and the survey
OurPatch is network of websites covering most of rural and regional Australia. OurPatch is the civic centre for the internet age with business and community information, local news and events and community engagement. They aim to deliver local news to rural and regional Australia. The survey of 1040 rural and regional Australians over the age of 18 was carried out in late December 2010, covering all states and territories of Australia and representing all demographics. http://www.ourpatch.com.au/