Introduction
'Public Satisfaction with Service Quality 2007: The Kiwis Count Survey' is the first national all-of-government survey to ask New Zealanders about their experiences and perceptions of public services1. Their views have provided us with a wealth of information on what we are doing well and where we can improve services. The survey tells us how satisfied New Zealanders are with public services, how much they trust public services and how public services compare with the private sector.
The Kiwis Count survey was carried out in 2007 by The Nielsen Company for the State Services Commission (SSC). They surveyed 6,500 New Zealanders, with a response rate of 61%: extremely high for a voluntary postal survey in New Zealand. This means we can have a high level of confidence in the findings of this survey and it also shows that New Zealanders want their views on public services to be heard.
The real value of this survey lies in agencies using the results to make targeted improvements to services that show we are listening to the views of New Zealanders. Satisfaction with public services is a complex area: it is harder to achieve satisfaction for some types of services than others and it is, of course, only one aspect of public value. However, satisfaction is an important indication of service quality and we should aim to improve satisfaction ratings over time. This booklet summarises some of the main results and explains what they mean for public services. It also sets out some of the actions we can take to improve services. Detailed analysis of the results is set out in a research report which is available on the SSC website (www.ssc.govt.nz/kiwis-count-research-survey).
These are some highlights of the survey.
Satisfaction with public services in New Zealand is equal with Canada. |
We already know what's most important to New Zealanders, now we know how public services are performing in these areas. |
Ensuring services meet the expectations of New Zealanders is the most effective way of improving satisfaction overall. |
Public services perform well on having competent staff, treating New Zealanders fairly and keeping promises, but less well on providing good value for tax dollars spent. |
There is no significant difference between Māori views on public services and the views of New Zealanders as a whole. |
The telephone is the second most common way of contacting public services, but this method of contact has the lowest satisfaction levels. |
New Zealanders' experiences of public services tend to be more positive than their perceptions. |
The Kiwis Count survey provides us with a valuable opportunity to improve services and we need to act on the results. |
1 'Public services' is used throughout this booklet and other publications about the Kiwis Count survey as the term most widely understood by New Zealanders. For the purposes of the survey, 'public services' refers to the list of 42 services set out at the end of this booklet. This list broadly represents services provided by central and local government, tertiary education institutions and kindergartens.