This study provides much needed information about citizens' perceptions of agency websites, but also profiles the citizen visitors to understand where and why they are visiting. Agencies can use this report to improve the online experience for citizens, make informed resource allocation decisions, and decrease the use of more expensive forms of contact.

In late 2005, CFI Group conducted its Inaugural Government Websites study in partnership with the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This study is unique in that it measures not only the performance of the agency websites, but also the respondent profile of government website users. Understanding who is using government websites and for what purpose is the first step for agencies in tailoring the content and features to strategically improve website user satisfaction.

This report examines the who, what, when, where, and why of the respondent base to illustrate the characteristics of today's government website visitors followed by a comprehensive analysis of the performance ratings using the proven methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), the only national indicator of customer satisfaction.