Satisfaction With Federal Government Services Falls for First Time in Five Years

The 2026 ACSI Federal Government Study records a 2.6% drop in citizen satisfaction, with customer service and complaint handling among the areas showing the sharpest declines.

Citizen satisfaction with U.S. federal government services fell 2.6% to an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score of 68.6 out of 100, ending four consecutive years of improvement.

The ACSI Federal Government Study 2026 found lower scores across all four satisfaction drivers: customer service, process efficiency, website quality, and information. Most departments and agencies, along with both digital and traditional service channels, also recorded declines.

Customer service saw the largest drop among the drivers, falling 4% to 74. Complaint handling declined 7% to 65, despite a stable complaint rate.

The results come amid significant changes to the federal workforce. Under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, the workforce shed approximately 385,000 employees in the year ending January 2026. Restructuring and staffing reductions affected agencies throughout the fiscal year, with citizens reporting lower satisfaction across most service touchpoints.

Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI, said:

“Federal agencies are being asked to do more with far fewer people, and citizens are noticing. 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 study was based on 7,932 completed surveys. Respondents were selected at random and contacted by email throughout the federal fiscal year ending in September 2026. They were asked to assess their recent experiences with federal government services.

The findings highlight the risks of workforce reductions for public-sector customer experience, particularly when they affect frontline service and complaint resolution. Digital channels may help agencies maintain access, but the declines in website scores suggest that technology alone is not a substitute for effective processes, clear information, and appropriately resourced support.

For service leaders across government and other large organizations, the results underline the importance of treating digital transformation and workforce planning as connected parts of service delivery—not as interchangeable solutions.