MANHATTAN, Kan., Aug. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CivicPlus®, a public sector SaaS leader, today released key findings from its comprehensive national survey that examines the interplay between technology, resident trust, and satisfaction. As the largest-ever resident satisfaction survey conducted by CivicPlus, this report pulls from a research database that includes responses from over 26,000 participants—more than double the database of the report CivicPlus published in 2023. With the goal of understanding how digital interactions impact resident perceptions of local leadership, this report provides insights to help local government leaders develop business cases for investing in easy, seamless digital experiences for residents.
The report revealed that despite resident trust in local leadership remaining consistently high year-over-year, it does not necessarily correlate to satisfaction in municipal services. Findings demonstrated the critical role of technology in bridging the resident trust-satisfaction gap, and that resident perceptions of local leadership and satisfaction with their services are increasingly tied to how intuitive, transparent, and accessible their online interactions with government are. Key findings include:
Trust remains high, but satisfaction lags
Seamless digital interactions build trust and play a pivotal role in enhancing overall satisfaction with municipal services, driving both improved perceptions of leadership and more engaged communities:
- 74% of respondents reported having more trust than distrust in their local leaders, yet only 47% expressed high overall satisfaction with their local government.
- Individuals who report difficulty navigating their local government website are nearly four times more likely to express declining satisfaction with their municipality in the last 12 months.
- Conversely, residents who rate their local government’s website as highly easy to navigate are four times more satisfied with their city than those who do not.
Strategic technology investments are no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must have’
The trust-satisfaction gap underscores the importance of community leaders continually improving digital experiences and resident engagement to maintain trust and strengthen satisfaction. Key areas of improvement include:
- Responsiveness and communication: Only 29% of U.S. residents report being highly satisfied with the speed at which their local government addresses issues, and only 35% of individuals report high satisfaction with the communication they receive.
- Modernized digital channels: 72% of respondents use digital methods to engage with local government, particularly when it comes to accessing critical information, with 82% preferring online communications over printed media for legal notices.
- Proactive reporting: 64% of residents indicate that it is essential for local governments to provide a non-emergency reporting app, and 69% support using tax dollars for this purpose, according to findings from the 2023 CivicPlus survey.
Accessibility matters to both leaders and residents
Beyond the U.S. Department of Justice web accessibility mandate for state and local governments, residents are already expecting accessible websites and mobile apps:
- 63% of residents reported that accessibility features on government websites are highly important—and 59% believe making those websites accessible should be a high priority.
- This is further reinforced by data from a recent web accessibility report published by CivicPlus in partnership with CivicPulse, which found that 84% of municipal officials believe that website accessibility enhances public trust, and 83% view it as a core responsibility of local government.
These results demonstrate strong public expectations for accessible digital experiences and signal a key opportunity for municipalities to showcase their responsiveness and accountability through inclusive digital design.
Quality of digital experiences directly shapes resident perceptions
U.S. residents’ judgement of their local government leadership is linked to the quality of their online interactions with that agency. For example, local governments that have intuitive websites, transparent processes, and accessible platforms have residents who report higher levels of trust, satisfaction, and community support:
- 54% of residents believe the quality of a municipality's website is a direct reflection of community leadership.
- However, only 41% of residents described their local government website as very or extremely easy to navigate in other words, most residents do not yet view their local government website as meeting high standards.
- Residents who rate their municipal website as extremely or very easy to navigate report significantly higher levels of trust in their local government (88%), compared to just 43% among those who find their website difficult to use.
“In a time when public trust in many institutions is declining, local government remains a trusted pillar for many. It’s where residents feel seen, heard, and most connected to the decisions that shape their communities,” said Brenden Elwood, Vice President of Market Research at CivicPlus. “While our latest research reveals a striking gap between that trust and overall resident satisfaction, it also shows a clear path forward for closing it. Technology is not just a tool, it’s a lever. When local governments invest in intuitive, accessible digital experiences, they don’t just meet expectations—they strengthen relationships, increase satisfaction, and build the foundation for thriving, engaged communities.”
For more information, download a full version of the report.
The CivicPlus Resident Satisfaction report leveraged a web-based survey to capture U.S. residents’ perceptions of trust in local government and satisfaction with municipal services. The instrument incorporated multiple-choice and Likert scale questions to assess nuanced attitudes. The survey was pilot tested for clarity and refinement before full deployment. To ensure consistency across analyses, the same core questionnaire was utilized for data collection through twice-a-year surveys from 2022-2024, and a research database that now includes responses from more than 26,000 participants.
About CivicPlus
Thousands of high-performing civic leaders rely on CivicPlus as their trusted partner for impact-led government. With CivicPlus, leaders can finally overcome the perpetual tradeoff between the demand for better services and the realities of operational resources, leveraging the unique Civic Impact Platform to deliver both unmatched end-to-end automated efficiency and truly unified, delightful residence experiences.
Backed by over 25 years of experience and leveraging the insights of more than 900 team members, our solutions are chosen by over 10,000 organizations and are used daily by over 340 million people in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit www.civicplus.com
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