Administration
Citizens and companies largely satisfied with authorities
Applying for ID cards is rated comparatively well (archive image). Photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/dpa-tmn
However, the individual offices are rated very differently. Which areas of life perform well and which poorly?
According to the survey, around 79 percent of citizens and 80 percent of companies say they are fairly or very satisfied with government services. The so-called living situation survey has been conducted every two years since 2015. The five-point scale ranges from -2 (very dissatisfied) to +2 (very satisfied). Overall satisfaction in 2023 was 1.0 (fairly satisfied).
Among citizens, the application for identity documents received the highest satisfaction rating with a score of 1.4. Contacts with authorities when getting married (1.3) and with documents such as living wills and powers of attorney (1.3) were also rated well.
In contrast, respondents who had contact with authorities when filing their tax return (0.8) or getting a divorce (0.6) were significantly less satisfied with the services provided. This also applies to involvement in court proceedings (0.5), which was a new feature in the survey.
Among companies, satisfaction levels with the authorities are highest in relation to training (1.4) and research and development (1.2). Satisfaction levels are rather low in relation to the construction of production facilities (0.6).
Much dissatisfaction with waiting times
Citizens rated the factors of incorruptibility and freedom from discrimination with an average of 1.6 and companies with an average of 1.9. Both groups were less satisfied with the waiting times (0.7 for citizens and 0.4 for companies) and the opening hours of the offices (0.7 for citizens and 0.5 for companies).
The authorities’ online offerings (0.6 each) and the comprehensibility of applications and forms (0.8 for citizens and 0.6 for companies) are rated comparatively low.