ANN ARBOR, Mich. (January 30, 2018) – Citizen satisfaction with the federal government is up 2.5 percent to 69.7 on a 0 to 100 scale, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®). While the ACSI Federal Government 2017 report measures the quality of services provided by the government and its agencies – not political satisfaction per se – self-identified Republicans differ as they show deteriorating satisfaction with government services.
All other political affiliations express improved or stable satisfaction, which has led to an overall gain in the federal government ACSI score.
“There is no correlation between the President’s approval ratings and citizen satisfaction with government services,” says Claes Fornell, ACSI founder and Chairman. “But Democrats tend to be most satisfied, while independents and “other party” members are less so. The Departments of Justice and the Interior usually get high marks; Treasury and HUD much less so.”
Technology and digital services have contributed to greater user satisfaction by helping improve the worst aspects of government services. Processes like filling out forms and submitting applications are now easier and more efficient, and response times are faster. Federal websites are easier to use and more helpful, and agencies are providing information that is more accessible and understandable.
Nevertheless, customer service has deteriorated slightly. According to citizens, government employees are not as courteous and professional compared to a year ago.
Citizen satisfaction scores vary widely among individual departments. The Departments of Justice (81) and the Interior (78) earn top marks, better than the economy-wide ACSI national average of 76.7. At the other end of the spectrum are the Departments of the Treasury (61) and Housing and Urban Development (60), far below the government average of 69.7.
Among federal agencies, two of the top performers for 2017 are the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation with an ACSI score of 91 and the Veterans Health Administration’s medical center inpatient services at 86 – both higher than most best-in-class private sector benchmarks.
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