Do they all perform alike? An examination of perceived performance, citizen satisfaction and trust with US federal agencies

Abstract

What drives citizen satisfaction and trust with US federal government agencies? Are these determinants constant across agencies, or do they differ? In this article, we examine elements of citizen perceived performance as determinants of satisfaction and trust in federal agencies using a multi-year, cross-sectional, multi-agency sample of respondents. Focusing on six high-incidence federal agencies experienced by a large cross-section of American citizens, we observe differences in the determinants of satisfaction and trust, which include perceptions of the quality of the services experienced and the information provided, demographic factors, citizen expectations, and e-government adoption. We discuss these differences, with a particular focus on the implications of these findings for the practice of performance benchmarking. Given that one central objective of a variety of recent federal initiatives has been to better measure bureaucratic performance with the goal of improving the quality of services delivered to citizens through benchmarking, these findings highlight the complexity of government efforts to realize this goal. In conclusion, suggestions for improving cross-agency benchmarking are provided. Points for practitioners The key finding in this article for public administration and management practitioners relates to the difficulties inherent in identifying benchmarking partners, and thus in effectively benchmarking performance across agencies with the goal of identifying best practices useful in improving performance. These difficulties arise from the differential nature of what determines citizen satisfaction across agencies with different missions, purposes and goals. An alternative strategy for identifying benchmarking partners based on similarities in satisfaction determinants — what we call ‘benchmark partner selection by determinants’ — is discussed.

Reuse Intention of Third-Party Online Payments: A Focus on the Sustainable Factors of Alipay

“…Several prior studies show the positive effects of customer satisfaction on reuse intention [21][22][23]. Oliver [21] reports that customer satisfaction is a positive antecedent of a user's attitude and a key factor that influences his or her reuse intention.…”

“…Oliver [21] reports that customer satisfaction is a positive antecedent of a user's attitude and a key factor that influences his or her reuse intention. However, Morgeson and Petrescu [22] point out that product (service) quality may differ depending on perceived performance and may not result in purchase (or reuse) intention. Liao and Cheung [15] also find that the determinants of service quality may have a stepwise or inter-relational structure to each other; thus, sometimes, a higher service quality may not result in stronger reuse intention.…”

Relationships with Citizens in Public Management: A Study at the Largest Spanish Town Halls

“…An increase of surveys with a social orientation and, on the whole, of surveys specifically focused on satisfaction degree, especially in relation to local services, took place during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Greater interest has been raised since the early 1990s by the use of social measurements due to the research levels from economics faculties and to the growing interest in the customer-oriented approach within the public sector, which in turn encouraged the study of satisfaction surveys (Bouckaert & Van de Walle, 2003, Morgeson & Petrescu, 2011.…”

“…Because it is not easy to measure satisfaction directly, we will try to determine it through the image or perception that citizens have about the public sector, as has already been done in other studies (Morgeson & Petrescu, 2011). Authors such as Vigoda (2002) consider that the opinion of service addressees, the citizens, is a good indicator of public policy results.…”

“…The use of technologies in recent years has permitted a more direct and quick attention to citizens, with more accessible and thorough information and better communication channels that can bridge the communication and information gap between citizens and the public sector (Welch, Hinnant & Moon, 2004). Moreover, it is worth highlighting the comparison that a public body can receive with respect to other similar institutions, as 8 this benchmarking action will most probably favour an orientation towards best practice policies in public management (Morgeson & Petrescu, 2011) b) Image in specific areas (e.g. culture, sports or social services).…”