Americans’ satisfaction with public-facing services provided by the federal government has fallen for the first time in five years, according to new findings released by the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
ACSI reports that citizen satisfaction has fallen to a score of 68.6 out of 100 – a 2.6% decrease.
This marks the first decline tracked by the index since 2021, when many federal employees were put on mandatory work-from-home schedules at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and agencies struggled to bring more of their public-facing services online.
Forrest Morgeson, director of research emeritus at the ACSI, said the data shows a “pretty clear link” between the decline of satisfaction scores and deep cuts in the federal workforce driven by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The federal workforce has seen a net decrease of about 264,000 employees since the start of the second Trump administration, according to the latest data from the Office of Personnel Management.
Only two agencies – the State Department and the General Services Administration – saw higher year-over-year scores. Scores for three departments – Commerce, Veterans Affairs and Treasury – remain unchanged. The remaining 10 agencies studied saw lower scores.
Agency officials have repeatedly talked about deploying artificial intelligence tools to make their remaining employees more productive and to mitigate last year’s staffing losses. IRS Chief Executive Frank Bisignano recently described an “AI-first” vision of the agency to employees.
But Morgeson said these AI investments are not yet translating into consistent improvements for the public.
“If you start the workforce reduction before you’ve got those technologies fully embedded in your processes, it can be disruptive. People can feel it in terms of slower services, less efficient service,” he said. “If it’s getting harder because of reduced workforces, then that’s going to shine through.”
The report also finds declines in how satisfied citizens feel getting help from agencies both over the phone and online. Several agencies have overhauled their websites to ensure that citizens can seek help online before having to pick up the phone.
“Self-service technology is terrific, and I think many of us prefer it, but it’s only terrific as long as it works,” Morgeson said. “It’s great until you need somebody to intervene, and otherwise it can be a real burden.”
The State Department saw the biggest year-over-year improvement in scores, driven by the success of the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ online passport renewal platform. More than half of all online passport renewals are now done through the portal, which was launched in 2024.
GSA, which is home to USA.gov – a one-stop-shop for public-facing services provided by the federal government – also saw a slight boost.
“Digital-first delivery continues to resonate with citizens when agencies invest in it,” the ACSI report states.
The Small Business Administration saw a 9% decline in satisfaction scores – the largest decrease of any agency. While SBA rolled out tools to cut processing times for non-complex loans under $500,000, the report states that those efficiency gains have been offset by a 43% reduction in its workforce.
The Department of Agriculture, last year’s top-scoring agency, saw the second-largest decline. USDA carried out a 20% staffing reduction last year, and employees expect further attrition if the department moves forward with plans to relocate about 2,600 of its employees across the country. A federal court is currently keeping those relocations on hold.
The IRS saw no change in scores, despite shedding more than a quarter of its workforce last year.
“As the IRS expands its use of technology to simplify the taxpayer experience, overall satisfaction is expected to remain modest relative to other agencies given the inherent challenges of its tax collection role,” the report states.
