Closing the Trust Gap: How Better Citizen-Facing Technology Builds Public Confidence in Government
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Technology that enables efficiency while being easy to use is something we all look for in the services we utilize, especially when it comes to the public sector. For the government, it has the potential to contribute to public confidence and closing the trust gap.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Federal Government Study 2025, citizen satisfaction with U.S. federal government services has reached a 19-year high score (measured on a scale from 1 to 100) of 70.4. This increase comes at a time of enhanced service delivery due to the growing adoption of innovative technologies.
What is the correlation between better citizen-facing technology and building public confidence in government?
Our team at Sedna is dedicated to enabling government agencies and other public sector organizations with the latest advancements in technology, leading to improvements in how they operate and deliver services to residents and businesses. With the power of innovation and tech, we have guided clients towards a digital and AI-driven future with confidence.
In this blog, we will delve into how governments can close the trust gap through the adoption and advancement of technological services and modern innovations.
Less Friction, Less Frustration
Inefficiencies are a major contributor to decreased public confidence in government. Having friction in any public-facing services causes frustration which can then turn into complaints, adding more instances where trust can continue to wither.
With advanced technologies and improvements to digital services, public trust has great potential to increase. Think about the simplification of processes such as passport renewals, benefits processing, gaining answers to queries, and receiving notifications of road closures or public health advisories. Simplicity leads to convenience for customers; having accessible, easy-to-use online documents and real-time updates through apps and texts introduces valuable capabilities without complexity.
Advancing From Capability to Trust
These innovative capabilities not only introduce convenience, but contribute to a wide array of factors that benefit both residents and government employees. Introducing digital self-service features and real-time updates sent automatically reduces call center volume, reduces the need for physical paper documents and letters, saves time for everyone involved to focus on more important tasks, and builds resident trust and confidence in government capabilities.
For many, it is about services and processes that act at the right moment, when they are needed most. Efficient access and quick answers enable confidence, and confidence builds strong foundations for trust in government agencies.
Challenges to Consider
While digital transformation and the adoption of advanced technology such as AI and machine learning enable governments to innovate and strategize in new and efficient ways, there are some challenges to consider before pushing forward.
Importance of Authority & Accountability
When it comes to tools powered by technology such as AI, it is important to be aware of accountability and authority. Moving too quickly to adopt AI without implementing a careful plan and strict usage guidelines can have detrimental effects on trust, and that is not what agencies are aiming for.
With automation tools, sometimes answers can come from various sources, making it difficult to understand what branch or department is responsible for responses to queries. There should always be accountability; residents should be able to identify where an answer came from with proper sources and explainability. Understanding where information comes from in turn develops authority for the department or office that holds that expertise.
Ensuring Transparency
It is an ethical choice to remain transparent with the public, especially when using intelligent technologies. Let residents and businesses know AI or other forms of advanced tech will be used and how they will be used, and how public-facing services are integrated with them. Being open with how technology is implemented in government systems enables further trust, showing that agencies do not seek to hide information from the public.
The Digital Divide
When embracing digital transformation, it is important to keep in mind that not everyone is technologically adept, especially elderly residents. Ensure all forms of digital resources and communications are ADA compliant and easy to use for everyone that needs to use them.
Technology can have a huge impact on public confidence, as it improves public-facing services and ensures greater efficiencies and less friction. However, it is important to remember that it is not just about adopting technology at a rapid pace, but carefully curating strategies to implement it at scale in a way that benefits public-facing services, ensuring an excellent, human-centered user experience.
“Technology is best when it brings people together.”
– Matt Mullenweg, Co-Founder of WordPress
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