Cities confront growing digital trust gap

A gap between residents’ expectations and their experiences of digital government is raising questions about public confidence in local services, according to new research from CivicPlus, as three US municipalities are recognised for improving accessibility and engagement.

The company’s latest State of Resident Trust in Local Government report, based on 34,151 responses collected between 2022 and 2025, found that 62 percent of residents believe the quality of a municipal website reflects the quality of its leadership, yet only 44 percent find their local government’s website very or extremely easy to navigate.

While 82 percent of respondents trust local leaders completely or somewhat, only 54 percent are highly satisfied with local government services.

Brenden Elwood, Vice President of Market Research at CivicPlus, told Cities Today that poor digital experiences can affect how residents perceive the competence of local authorities.

“When residents can easily find accurate information, complete a task or track the status of a request, it signals that their government is organised, responsive, and accountable,” he said.

Local governments put findings into practice

The findings coincide with CivicPlus naming Red Bank, New Jersey; Panama City, Florida; and Tarpon Springs, Florida, as winners of its 2026 Community Impact Awards.

In Red Bank, the challenge was reaching multilingual and historically under-engaged residents who were not consistently receiving information about available services or acting on it.

The borough introduced a bilingual outreach programme combining door-to-door visits, phone calls, text messages and digital communications, with information provided in English and Spanish across multiple channels.

The initiative has reached more than 8,000 households and connected 690 residents with essential resources, while ensuring those with limited digital access have alternative ways to engage with local government.

Panama City faced fragmented communications, limited real-time updates and manual processes for services including permitting and utility billing, making it difficult for residents to access information and complete routine transactions.

The city responded by introducing a redesigned website, monthly newsletter, customisable mass notifications, online permit tracking and digital utility payments. The changes were also designed to reduce administrative workloads and improve coordination between departments.

More than 400,000 text messages have been delivered through the notification system, while new website users have increased by 40 percent and total sessions by 37 percent.

Meanwhile, Tarpon Springs was struggling with disconnected systems for public meetings, service requests, website updates and resident enquiries, placing additional demands on staff.

The city integrated its website, mobile app, meeting-management tools and service-request platform, alongside introducing a virtual assistant called Spongy to answer common questions outside normal office hours.

Since launching in May 2025, Spongy has handled 4,360 enquiries from 3,031 unique users, achieving a 70.7 percent self-resolution rate. CivicPlus said the technology has reduced routine staff interruptions, allowing employees to concentrate on more complex requests.

Balancing AI innovation with privacy

The report also highlights concerns about emerging technologies, with 55 percent of respondents highly concerned about potential privacy violations from local government AI.

Elwood said municipalities should give residents control over whether they use AI-powered services.

“Residents should be told clearly when a feature uses AI and given an explicit option to opt in or opt out. AI should make it easier to engage with government, not become a required gateway to the City for information or services.”

He also recommended restricting public-facing AI tools to approved information sources, including municipal websites, codes and designated public documents, to protect sensitive information and improve accuracy.

Beyond technology, the research identifies communication as another significant weakness. Although 76 percent of residents consider government transparency important, only 43 percent are highly satisfied with the accuracy and honesty of the information they receive.

“Digital services should complement, not replace, other ways residents engage with their city, ensuring that improvements benefit the entire community, regardless of how residents choose to interact with local government,” Elwood said.

Main image: HAKINMHAN | Dreamstime.com