Australians became more satisfied with federal public services, and more trusting of them, during the first months of COVID-19, according to survey results released by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Between February and June this year, satisfaction with the public services delivered by the Commonwealth increased from 69% to 78%. In March 2019 it had been 71%. People were asked how satisfied they were overall with the Australian public services they had accessed in the last 12 months.

Trust in the federal public services rose from 57% to 65% from February to June this year, and compared with 59% in March 2019.

The results are in line with trends in trust and satisfaction in institutions and leaders that academic and other surveys have shown.

The Citizen Experience Survey, done regularly and nationally, measures public satisfaction, trust and experiences with Australian public services. It is led by the Prime Minister’s Department .

In total more than 15,000 Australians were surveyed over five waves. The first wave was in March 2019 and surveyed about 5,000 people; this was followed by four more waves, each surveying about 2,500 people.

These results dealt with services delivered at Commonwealth level, not state delivery.

The survey put a series of propositions to people who had accessed any federal services in the last year.

It found 57% agreed information from the service was easy to understand; 60% said the staff were knowledgeable; 62% said the staff did what they said they would do, 51% said the amount of time it took to reach an outcome was acceptable, and 66% said they were treated with respect. All the numbers had risen since February.

Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

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