Survey shows falling satisfaction with government services amid DOGE hangover
In the aftermath of DOGE’s chaotic takeover of the federal government last year, citizen satisfaction with government services dropped for the first time in four years, a new survey shows.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index, which tracks how the public rates customer service, process efficiency, website quality and information from federal agencies, recorded a 2.6% decline in 2026 for a score of 68.6 out of 100.
The survey of 7,932 respondents, conducted throughout fiscal 2026, charted a downturn that followed steady post-pandemic gains, including last year’s 70.4 score.
Forrest Morgeson, a Michigan State marketing professor and ACSI’s director of research emeritus, said in a press release that agencies are now being asked to provide more services with fewer people, post-DOGE, 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,” Morgeson continued. “Replicating it becomes difficult when agencies are simultaneously managing large-scale workforce reductions.”
Roughly 385,000 federal employees departed the government in 2026. ACSI attributes those wide-scale reductions to critiques in the survey of diminished customer service, lower website scores, weakened process efficiency and poorer handling of complaints.
Of the metrics monitored by the organization, customer service and complaint handling took the biggest hits, with drops of 4% to 74 and 7% to 65, respectively. The gripes transcended party lines, with Republicans (72), Democrats (70) and independents (65) all registering lower marks for overall satisfaction compared to 2025 levels.
If there was a silver lining for the Trump administration from the survey, it was citizen attitudes toward the State Department, which recorded a 3% uptick to 77.
The ACSI linked the rise to State’s online passport renewal program, which it said “demonstrates that strong citizen experiences remain achievable even during institutional transition.” The Government Accountability Office last year lauded the agency for its passport centers, which the watchdog said fueled a customer service turnaround.
The General Services Administration also garnered a small gain in customer satisfaction: 1% to 73. Favorable reviews for the agency, home to USA.gov, show that “digital-first service delivery continues to resonate with citizens when agencies invest in it,” the study said.
State and GSA, however, were the only two agencies that had positive year-over-year feedback from respondents. The other 13 departments and independent agencies that ACSI tracked experienced declines, led by the Small Business Administration’s 9% drop to 67.
The SBA was one of the federal government’s biggest winners in the 2025 survey, thanks in large part to an expansion of its unified digital platform and a significant reduction in its loan processing times for non-complex loans less than $500,000.
“But the agencywide reorganization announced last year, paired with a workforce reduction of approximately 43%, appears to have offset those gains,” the study said. “Enhanced fraud-prevention controls and elevated customer expectations during a period of organizational change may have further contributed.”
The departments of Agriculture, Defense, and Health and Human Services also saw notable drops in customer satisfaction, as did Treasury, which held onto its dubious spot as the lowest-scoring agency.
“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 study said.
