Citizen Satisfaction With Federal Government Services Falls for the First Time in Five Years, ACSI Data Show

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizen satisfaction with U.S. federal government services drops 2.6% to an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) score of 68.6 (on a scale of 0 to 100), ending four consecutive years of improvement.

The ACSI Federal Government Study 2026 finds that all four satisfaction drivers — customer service, process efficiency, website quality, and information — post lower scores, as do most departments and agencies and both digital and traditional service channels. Customer service takes the largest hit, slipping 4% to 74. Complaint handling falls 7% to 65 despite a stable complaint rate.

The declines come during a period of significant federal workforce change. Under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, the federal workforce shed approximately 385,000 employees in the year ending January 2026. Organizational restructuring and significant staffing reductions played out across agencies throughout the fiscal year, and citizens felt the effects at most service touchpoints.

"Federal agencies are being asked to do more with far fewer people, and citizens are noticing," said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. "Sustained investment in digital service delivery can pay off even during a period of institutional change, but that kind of success requires years of development and consistent resourcing. Replicating it becomes difficult when agencies are simultaneously managing large-scale workforce reductions."

Other key takeaways from the study include:

• The Department of State leads all departments at 77, climbing 3%, on the strength of the Bureau of Consular Affairs' online passport renewal program. The General Services Administration, home to USA.gov, also improves, up 1% to 73.
• The Small Business Administration posts the steepest decline, tumbling 9% to 67, after a year of agencywide restructuring and a 43% workforce reduction.
• The federal call center satisfaction index slides 3% to 63, reversing last year's gains. The website satisfaction index dips 1% to 71.
• Satisfaction is lower across all three major political affiliations. Republicans (72), Democrats (70), and Independents (65) each score below their 2025 levels.

The ACSI Federal Government Study 2026 is based on 7,932 completed surveys. Respondents were chosen at random and contacted via email throughout the federal fiscal year ending in September 2026. Respondents are asked to evaluate their recent experiences with federal government services. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) is a national economic indicator and a leading provider of customer analytics products that help organizations build lasting customer relationships and prove ROI on experience investments. ACSI’s AI-enhanced platform delivers intuitive dashboards and cause-and-effect analytics that pinpoint the quality drivers most predictive of customer allegiance, retention, price tolerance, and financial performance. ACSI data has been shown to correlate strongly with key micro and macroeconomic indicators, including consumer spending, GDP growth, earnings, and stock returns.

Founded in 1994 at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the ACSI measures customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in over 40 industries, including federal government services, based on approximately 200,000 annual interviews. Learn more at https://www.theacsi.com/.

ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.