Residents’ expectations of digital government are outpacing their experiences, potentially weakening confidence in local services, according to a new CivicPlus report. The study also highlights three US municipalities recognised for efforts to improve accessibility and resident engagement.
The State of Resident Trust in Local Government report draws on 34,151 responses collected between 2022 and 2025. It found that 62 percent of respondents believe a municipal website’s quality reflects the quality of its leadership, but only 44 percent said their local government website was very or extremely easy to navigate. While 82 percent said they trust local leaders completely or somewhat, 54 percent reported being highly satisfied with local government services.
CivicPlus research vice president Brenden Elwood said digital experiences can influence how residents judge local authorities. Clear information and tools for completing tasks or tracking requests, he told Cities Today, can signal that a government is organised, responsive and accountable.
The report coincides with the company’s 2026 Community Impact Awards, which recognised Red Bank, New Jersey; Panama City, Florida; and Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Red Bank developed a bilingual outreach programme to reach residents who had not consistently received information about services or engaged with them. The borough combined door-to-door visits, calls, text messages and digital communications, providing information in English and Spanish. The initiative has reached more than 8,000 households and connected 690 residents with essential resources, while offering alternatives for people with limited digital access.
Panama City addressed fragmented communications and manual processes for services such as permits and utility billing. Its changes included a redesigned website, a monthly newsletter, customisable mass notifications, online permit tracking and digital utility payments. The city reported that its notification system has sent more than 400,000 text messages. New website users rose by 40 percent and total sessions by 37 percent.
In Tarpon Springs, disconnected systems for public meetings, service requests, website updates and enquiries were adding to staff workloads. The city integrated its website, mobile app, meeting-management tools and service-request platform, and introduced a virtual assistant named Spongy to handle common questions outside regular office hours. Since its May 2025 launch, Spongy has handled 4,360 enquiries from 3,031 users, with a reported self-resolution rate of 70.7 percent. CivicPlus said this has reduced routine interruptions for staff.
The report also points to concerns about government use of artificial intelligence: 55 percent of respondents were highly concerned about potential privacy violations. Elwood said residents should be clearly told when a service uses AI and given the choice to opt in or out. He also recommended limiting public-facing AI tools to approved sources, such as municipal websites, codes and designated public documents.
Communication remains another area of concern. Although 76 percent of respondents consider government transparency important, only 43 percent said they were highly satisfied with the accuracy and honesty of information they receive. Elwood said digital services should supplement, rather than replace, other ways of interacting with local government.
Sources: Cities Today.