Le BAROMETRE des SERVICES PUBLICS (Vague 1)



The BAROMETER of FRENCH STATE SERVICES (Wave 1)

Customers’ opinion on state services

Synthetic report

I – Approach

Mobilize the civil society to modernize the State sector in France is the vocation of the “Institut Paul Delouvrier”. In this spirit, the Institute has broken new ground in France with the inception of a semi-annual barometer measuring the performance of state services as perceived by citizens.

A three step approach is followed:

1 – Study and measure the satisfaction and expectations of users/customers

Method of polls

Analysis of results

2 – Make the barometer known

Accountability, transparency (management and evaluation tool)

Stimulate state action thanks to public awareness

3 – State policy implementation

Transmit conclusions to the administrative bodies concerned

Refine the analysis with those bodies and identify precise policy measures

The “Institut Paul Delouvrier” is an autonomous organisation free from any political link. It gathers competence of people experienced in public and corporate management.

Paul Delouvrier, prominent civil servant during the 4th and 5th republics in France, is icon of an administration which innovates and modernizes. He has been instrumental in many fields including the launching of VAT, the European construction, the urban planning in the Paris region or the implementation of the French nuclear power program.

The men, who joined the ranks of the Institute, share the ambition to recover an efficient State dedicated to the success of the country. They spend their energy for the modernization of state action without preconceived ideas.

II – The Barometer (Sept 2004)

A first test was done last spring with opinion « leaders » (politicians, company heads, journalists) who had a rather mixed opinion about state services.

In June, the work has been focused on opinion polls with all categories of citizens in contact with state services to get their perception about them: the overall population first and then users of specific services.

The barometer is structured following the approach defined below:

• First, select the priority services as defined by the population.

• Second, pick up the users of those priority state services in the crowd. Samples of good size, around 1000 users per service, were identified allowing results of significance.

• Third, study the satisfaction and expectations of users regarding a particular service.

Some of the available results go against generally accepted ideas. In particular, it can be noted that public service users are twice as many in proportion to have a good opinion about state services as compared to the general population.

1 – Priorities given to public action are changing

The priority areas for the French population regarding state action are, by rank: employment, health and social security, education and public security. Regarding public security, it has become less and less a priority as people’s concerns have decreased with policy measures implemented by the government in the recent past. In the meantime, environment is a raising priority.

2 – Users are satisfied with public services

Save public security, French people in general have a very negative opinion of the priority sectors. Nevertheless, users are more positive and even satisfied in the case of health and social security.

Satisfaction increases together with everyday experience of the service. The difference in satisfaction between the general population and users exceeds 20 points.

Apart from services focused on unemployment which concentrate a high level of dissatisfaction, between 70% and 85% of customers are satisfied about the service they receive.

How to explain such a difference in perception:

➢ Does it reflect correctly the quality of service – the user can really measure the quality as the non user is driven by wrong stereotype – or is it fully understandable – non-users should be less satisfied to the extent they pay for the service with no benefice – ?

If, users appear to be satisfied generally, there are strong nuances between social categories.

A strong correlation can be observed between the level of satisfaction and the sociological origin. Upper categories, persons with diploma, high revenues people as well as young and male citizens are the most demanding and the least satisfied where as popular social categories, women and senior citizens are more satisfied.

Users have very strong expectations concerning the orientation of public service and their demand can be measured through their dissatisfaction.

They expect that state services should (1) take on their mission the best way possible, (2) be open to dialogue and consider user’s requirements and (3) play fully their social role.

Regarding health for instance, users expect the best care, staff to keep their ears open and the respect of social equity and solidarity.

3 – First lessons from the barometer

One of the barometer’s objectives is to assist public sector managers in their improvement policies taking into account the requests of users.

Employment

State services for employment have the lowest satisfaction rate with users (51%).

This poor score could be explained: which jobless could be fully satisfied for the service when he stays unemployed? It appears that not only improvements could be achieved in the final result (the identification of jobs) but also in the means to be put up: job proposals better tailored to jobless profiles, more efficient trainers and a better reception by the staff account for 60% of priority expectations expressed by jobless.

Public security

Public action in the field of security is popular but seems to be improvable for users.

With a 69% rate of global satisfaction, and only 53% concerning the main expectation of users of police services, substantial improvements can be achieved with a reduction of the repressive actions of services.

Popular social categories, young people, left wing sympathizers who once adhered to repressive actions today wish an attitude geared at more prevention and dialogue.

Education

Global satisfaction of students and parents is good: 79% on average.

The main expectation of parents and students remain unsatisfied: they wish school to be more focused on its core mission, i.e. transmit knowledge and instil discipline.

This backlash to fundamentals after a period of research of personal blossoming is no surprise: many teachers are looking for it and it is the conclusion of most recent reports to the Ministry of Education.

François Fillon has already understood the message and announce at the TV is will to take this new direction for the school tomorrow.

The reconciliation between users and non-users

Clearly, users and non-users don’t base their opinion on the same criteria. The only area of exception is public security where one can find a consensus. This is an area where important information campaigns have been implemented. Is there a lesson to draw?

Summary table

Satisfaction rate

| |Overall population |Users |Users |

| |General opinion |General opinion |Opinion on main expectation |

|Education |47% |79% |48% |

|Public security |65% |69% |53% |

|Employment |18% |51% |44% |

|National health |42% |85% |80% |

|Social security |42% |81% |67% |

GRAPHS

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Graphs on priority sectors

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INSTITUT PAUL DELOUVRIER

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