People perceive bureaucracy in different ways. Any contact with the public administration is primarily assessed from the perspective of the individual situation and the requests and applications made as a result. According to recent data from the fourth wave of the life events survey, citizens and companies in Germany are mostly satisfied with the government services provided. Commissioned by the Federal Government, the Federal Statistical Office conducts the life events survey every two years. From 2015 onwards, citizens and companies are asked to assess the quality of the service delivered by the public administration.
Citizens
The 2021 survey shows that most citizens are satisfied with the services provided by the authorities. On a scale of -2 (very dissatisfied) to +2 (very satisfied), the overall indicator is 1.1. Among the 22 situations examined, contacts with public authorities are rated best in connection with an application for identity documents, patient decree or marriage. Citizens are least satisfied when they contacted the authorities because of financial problems, a divorce or the COVID-19 pandemic.
More results on citizens' satisfaction
Businesses
Most businesses are satisfied with services provided by the public administration. On the satisfaction scale of -2 to +2, the overall indicator for 2021 is 1.0. This means that the satisfaction of companies differs only slightly from that of citizens. In the eleven life situations examined, the companies rate contacts with public authorities best which related to vocational training, importing/exporting or research and development. They are less satisfied when they had to deal with the construction of an establishment, finance and taxes.
More results on business satisfaction
Microdata of the life events surveys are available at the Research Data Centres of official statistics.