How People View Government
In two rounds of intense focus groups conducted in 1995 and 2001, NCCI discovered that people’s needs when it comes to government are indeed intuitive and basic. During this same research, NCCI discovered 10 significant observations about how people view local government. We include these observations here as a reminder to local government leaders and professionals and as a point of reflection for members of the public. (Excerpted from Listening to the Public by Barbara J. Cohn Berman)
Observation 1. People are interested in local government and understanding of its complexities.
Although people are firm about how they expect government to treat them, they area realistic in the expectations about what local government can do. They temper their aspirations for life in the city with realism and do not blame government for every problem. They know that resources are limited and that government cannot do everything.
Observation 2. People’s judgments about local government performance are formed primarily by their own personal experiences.
Even when people read published reports about government or hear about them, they do not accept the reports blindly; they test them against their own experiences.
Observation 3. The nature of the interactions with government employees and agencies is critical to the way people judge an agency and government itself.
Often, the very first experience a person has with an agency – frequently with a person on the frontline (a customer service representative, emergency responder, code enforcement officer, etc.) – is decisive in people’s judgment about the entire agency.
Observation 4. People are clear and specific about what they do not want from government. That list includes:
- A run-around
- “Voice-mail jail”
- No response or very delayed response
- Rude, demeaning, unconcerned or otherwise poor treatment
Observation 5. People discuss and see government services differently from the way government is arranged and responds.
Government is organized and delivers its services in departmental ways. Government employees’ reference points are their own agencies. In their training they learn to see clear boundaries around their agency’s responsibilities. They disassociate from functions and people in other agencies. The general public, on the other hand, sees connections and relationships among functions.
Observation 6. People recognize and acknowledge improvements in government performance.
Observation 7. People feel that some, but not all, governmental services are better in upscale neighborhoods.
They single out public schools, police, parks, litter and snow removal, housing and health inspections of restaurants and grocery stores as examples of services they believe are better in upscale areas.
Observation 8. People want and like information from government.
The public’s desire and need for information spans a wide range. They want to know: what services are provided and by whom; how best to communicate with an agency; in advance, when roadwork or any other activity that affects their lives is scheduled and why; where after school and summer youth programs are available; which restaurants and food stores have health violations; how public schools in their neighborhood are rated; why one roadway is being repaved and another is not, etc. Many people use the Internet and like getting information from the City’s website.
Observation 9. Interestingly, people rarely complain about taxes, but they express deep outrage and resentment when:
- They see “shoddy work”
- They see public employees goofing off
- They are treated with disrespect
- There is malfeasance and/or misfeasance
When they see this they say: “This is the public’s (or my) money that is being wasted!”
Observation 10. Despite their sophistication and interest in local government, people feel powerless and say that they cannot effect changes in how city services are delivered.
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