AGAHarris Final Report 2008

Survey Report on Perceptions of Governmental
Financial Management
Association of Government Accountants
All rights reserved.

Presented by
Justin Greeves, Vice President, Public February 20, 2008
©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Affairs Research
Kaylan Orkis, Research Assistant, Public
Affairs Research
www.harrisinteractive.com
Contents
Background & Objectives……………………………………………..3

Methodology…………………………………………………………….4
Executive Summary……………………………………………………5
Detailed Findings
The Expectations Gap………………….……….……………….12
A Problem with Trust……..…………………………….……......18
What the Public Wants..…..……………………….…….….…...28
Information Categories …..………………….….….….…….…..42
Information Sources ………….……….…………….…….……..44
Demographics …………………..………………………………..47

Conclusions…………………..…………………….……………..50
HARRIS INTERACTIVE 2
Background & Objectives
This research, commissioned by the Association of Government Accountants and

conducted by Harris Interactive, was conducted to serve as a benchmark of attitudes
and opinions among the general public toward governments’ financial management
and perceived levels of accountability to the public at all levels.
Objectives
 Measure broad perceptions of importance and satisfaction with regard to receiving
financial management information from government (local, state, federal)
 Assess the relative importance and performance by government on specific elements
of financial management delivery to the public
 Determine which sources of information Americans rely on for governments’ financial
management information (local, state, federal) and how this information is used by the
public.
 Seek suggestions on how government can improve on its accountability and delivery

of financial information to the public
Methodology
 Audience: United States residents, 18 years or older

 Method: Online Survey using the Harris multi-million member online
panel
 Field Dates: January 4-8, 2007
 Surveys Completed: n = 1,652
 Sampling Error: +/- 2.4 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases
 Survey Duration: 14 minutes

Executive Summary

Executive Summary – Headlines and Themes
 Government at all levels is failing to meet the needs of its citizens with regard
to financial management reporting. This expectations gap is quite large.
– The public at large overwhelmingly believes government has the obligation to
provide reporting that explains how the government generates and spends its
money; however, government is not meeting expectations in any area included in
this survey.
 Poor performance on financial management reporting has created a problem

with trust between citizens and their governments in regards to spending
practices.
– Across all levels of government, the gaps are widest in being “open and honest in
spending practices” and being “responsible to the public for its spending.”
Surprisingly, no level of government, including local, receives an average rating
above the mid-point (5, on a 1-10 scale) on any aspect of financial management.
 Respondents are specific in the ways in which government can address their
needs and improve accountability, including better reporting (open disclosure,

easy-to-read reports), a change in attitude in communications (honesty and
transparency) and better information in the right channels (websites, through
the press).
Executive Summary
The Expectations Gap
 There is an overall agreement on the importance for federal, state and local
governments’ financial management information to be available to the public.
– 72% say that it is important to receive this information from the federal
government.
– Only 5% believe that having this information available to them is not important,
regardless of level of government.
 However, among those who do receive information about governments’
generation and spending of money, there is a strong dissatisfaction with the
information that they receive.
– The strongest dissatisfaction is with the information about the federal
government’s financial management (Federal, 60%; State, 46%; Local, 38%).
Only 5% are satisfied with what they receive from the federal government.
 A large majority of Americans (90%) believe that as taxpayers, they are
entitled to transparent financial management information.

– 57% take the strongest position possible that government has an obligation to
provide reports that explain how the government generates and spends money .
Executive Summary
A Problem with Trust
 Americans perceive governments to be significantly under-delivering in
regards to practicing open, honest and responsible spending. They are also
performing below expectations as it relates to providing understandable and
timely financial management information.
 While the overall magnitude of performance scores is still poor, all three
levels of government are rated most effective at being responsible to the
public for its spending - the aspect that is most important to Americans.
Again, this level of performance is still at the bottom of the scale (Top 2 Box
on 10 point scale – Federal, 9%; State, 9%; Local, 12%).
 Governments are especially underachieving in the aspect that ranks second
in importance – being open and honest in spending practices (Bottom 2 Box
on 10 point scale – Federal, 5%; State, 5%; Local, 7%).
 The gaps between importance and performance decrease as government

becomes more localized, but no level of government scores above a 5 in
performance (10 point scale).
Executive Summary
What The Public Wants
 Of those who currently receive information or believe that having financial
information available is at least somewhat important, almost three-quarters
(71%) mention the information would influence their voting decision.
– Other common mentions include contacting my representative (48%), attending
town hall meetings and gatherings (28%), and simply wanting to be informed
(26%)
 The major concern with financial management across all levels of
governments is the Excessive Amounts of Unrestrained Spending.
– 23% mention it as their biggest concern with the Federal governments’
management, while 15% mention it as their concern with the state and local
governments.
 When asked about the ways in which government can demonstrate greater
accountability, the most common themes are Improved Reporting (42%) and
a different Attitude (28%) in reporting.
– The most frequent specific mentions across all categories were: Provide Open

Disclosure of Spending (18%), Easy to Read Reports (7%), Be Honest (10%),
Cut Down on Unnecessary Spending (9%), and Provide Information on Websites
(7%).
Executive Summary
Information Categories
 Respondents were asked to rank the importance of each category of
financial spending information across Federal, State and Local Government.
The findings indicate that respondents have clear expectations on which
levels of government should deliver on which categories of information:
– At a Federal level, respondents perceive Health Care information (75%) and
Environment information (62%) to be most important to them personally.
– At a State level, information about Transportation (58%) and Education (57%)
were most important.
– At a Local level, information about Safety (55%) was the single most important
category.

Executive Summary
Information Sources
 Americans are most likely to rely on traditional sources -- the news and
newspaper -- for information on government financial management.
– Federal: News, 73%; Newspaper, 58%
– State: News, 70%; Newspaper, 58%
– Local: Newspaper, 59%; News, 57%
 A significant portion of the population is searching online for information on

how the government is generating and spending money (Federal, 33%; State,
30%; Local, 24%).
 Over one in ten say that they do not get any information on federal, state or
local government financial management (Federal, 12%; State, 13%; Local,
15%).

Detailed Findings
The Expectations Gap

Nearly three-quarters of Americans say it is personally important that
financial management information, across all levels of government, is
available to them; however, the majority of Americans who currently
get information are not satisfied with what they receive.
Federal 72%
Government 5% Extremely/Very Important (NET)
Extremely/Very Satisfied (NET)
State 73%
Government
7%
Local 72%
Government
13%

*Please note base sizes differ
Base: All Respondents (n = 1652)
Q515 How important to you personally is it that information about your Federal, state and local governments’ financial management is
available to you? Base: Get information (Federal; n= 1461) (State; n= 1443) (Local; n= 1413)
Q505 How satisfied are you with the information you get about your governments’ financial
management?
Federal Government: Americans are the most dissatisfied with the
information they receive about the Federal government’s financial
management – 72% say it is important, yet 60% are not satisfied.
Satisfaction Importance
32%
Extremely Top 2 Box
1%
Important (NET): 72%
40%
-67%
Very Satisfied (NET): 5%
5%
23%
Somewhat
34%
3%
Not very Bottom 2 Box
31%
Not Important (NET): 5%
2%
Not at all
30% Not Satisfied (NET): 60%

Base: Get information (Federal; n= 1461)
Q505 How satisfied are you with the information you get about your governments’ financial management?
Q515 How important to you personally is it that information about your Federal, state and local governments’ financial manageme
available to you?
State Government: Almost half (46%) are not satisfied and another
47% are only somewhat satisfied with the information they receive
about their state’s financial management.
30%
Extremely Top 2 Box
1%
Top 2 Box
43% 25%
-66%
Very Satisfied (NET): 7%
6%
28%
22%
Somewhat
47%
3%
28%
Not Important (NET): 5%
1%
Not at all
19% Not Satisfied (NET): 46%

Base: Get information (State; n= 1443)
Q515 How important to you personally is it that information about your Federal, state and local governments’ financial management is
available to you?
Local Government: Americans are the most satisfied with information
provided by their local government (13%), but two in five (38%) are still
disappointed with the information they get.
34% Top 2 Box

Extremely
1%
Very
39%
Satisfied (NET): 13%
-59%
12%
22%
Somewhat
49%
3%
21%
Not Important (NET):5%
2%
Not at all
17%
Not Satisfied (NET): 38%

Base: Get information (Local; n= 1413)
Q515 How important to you personally is it that information about your Federal, state and local governments’ financial management is available to
you?
An overwhelming majority of Americans (90%) believe taxpayers are
entitled to receive reports that explain how the government
generates and spends its money; only 4% believe the opposite.
Total Jones
Government is
not obligated to Exactly like Smith
provide reports Exactly like Jones 57%
1%
4% Somewhat like
Jones
3%
Neither like Smith
or Jones
6%
Total Smith
Government is
obligated to
provide reports
Somewhat like
Smith
90%

32%
Base: All Respondents (n= 1652)

Q510 After you read both statements, please indicate which opinion comes closest to your own.
Detailed Findings
A Problem With Trust

Federal Government: The two areas in need of the most attention
relate to spending practices – honesty (5.9 point gap) and
responsibility to the public (5.7 point gap).
Top 2 Box (9,10 on 10 point scale) Mean Scores Gap
Performance Importance
Responsible to the 78% 9.1

public for spending 9% 3.4 - 5.7
Open and honest in 73% 8.7

spending 5%
- 5.9
2.8
Provides 8.4
62% - 5.3
understandable
financial information 4% 3.1
8.0
Provides timely 50% - 4.6
finanical statements 4% 3.4
49% 7.9
Educates public on its
- 4.6

current challenges 5% 3.3

Q530 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the Federal government deliver
statement. Q540 Please indicate how well you think the Federal government is performing on each of these
statements.
Federal Government: Over three-quarters (78%) believe that it is
very important for them to be held accountable to the public for their
spending, yet less than one in ten (9%) say they are performing up
to these expectations.
Top (9,10) Mid (3-8) Bottom (1,2) Not sure/Decline
The Federal government is responsible to the public for its spending.
Importance 78% 15% 3% 3%
10 point scale: 10=Extremely important, 1=Not important at all
Performance 9% 36% 49% 6%
10 point scale: 10=Extremely well, 1=Not well at all

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
The Federal government is open and honest in its spending practices.


0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Q530 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the Federal government deliver
statement. Q540 Please indicate how well you think the Federal government is performing on each of these
statements.
Federal Government: Having understandable information about
federal finances is very important to 62%, but half (49%) say the
Federal government is not performing well on this.
The Federal government provides timely financial statements and status reports.

4% 44% 44% 9%
Performance
The Federal government educates the public on its current challenges.

5% 45% 43% 8%
Performance
The Federal provides understandable information about its finances.


4% 41% 49% 8%
Performance
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Q530 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the Federal government d
statement. Q540 Please indicate how well you think the Federal government is performing
HARRIS INTERACTIVE on each of these statements. 21
State Government: The state governments are also performing the
most poorly in their openness and honesty with spending practices.

64% 8.4
Responsible to the
public for spending
- 4.1
9% 4.3

- 4.3
spending
5% 3.8
7.8
Provides
understandable
51% - 3.8
5% 4.0
financial information
Educates public on 49%

7.7 - 3.5
its current challenges 4.2
5%
Provides timely 47% 7.7 - 3.7

finanical statements 4.0
4%
Q550 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the state government deliver on
statement. Q560 Please indicate how well you think the state government is performing on each of these statem
State Government: Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans agree that it is
exceptionally important for governments to be responsible for their
spending, but only 9% say they are performing up to these expectations.
The state government is responsible to the public for its spending.

9% 50% 32% 9%
Performance
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
The state government is open and honest in its spending practices.
5% 50% 35% 10%

Performance

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Q550 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the state government deliver on
statement. Q560 Please indicate how well you think the state government is performing on each of these statem
State Government: Half (51%) believe it is very important to be
provided with understandable information, 48% want to educated on
the states’ challenges and 47% want timely reports.
The state government provides timely financial statements and status reports.

The state government educates the public on its current challenges.

5% 58% 29% 9%
Performance
The state provides understandable information about its finances.


0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Q550 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the state government deliver
on that statement. Q560 Please indicate how well you think the state government is performing on each of these
H A R R Istatements.
S INTERACTIVE 24
Local Government: The performance gaps are smaller among local
governments’ scores but there is room for improvement in all
aspects of financial management.
Responsible to the 62% 8.3

public for spending
12% 4.7 - 3.6

spending 7% 4.4
- 3.6
Provides 7.8
52% - 3.3
understandable
financial information 7% 4.5
Educated the public 50% 7.8

on its current - 3.2
challenges 7% 4.6
49% 7.7
Provides timely - 3.2

finanical statements
7% 4.5

Q570 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the local government deliver on t
statement. Q580 Please indicate how well you think the local government is performing on each of these stateme
Local Government: Three in ten (30%) believe that they are not
exhibiting open and honest spending practices and 28% say they are
not effective at being responsible to the public for their spending.
My local government is responsible to the public for its spending.
My local government is open and honest in its spending practices.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Q570 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the local government deliver on t
statement. Q580 Please indicate how well you think the local government is performing on each of these stateme
Local Government: Half of Americans believe it is very important that
local governments provide understandable (52%) and timely (49%)
information, as well as education on its current challenges (50%).
My local government provides timely financial statements and status reports.
7% 54% 28% 12%

Performance
My local government educates the public on its current challenges.


My local provides understandable information about its finances.


7% 55% 27% 12%
Performance
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Q570 Please indicate, using a 10-point scale, how important it is to you personally that the local
government deliver on that statement. Q580 Please indicate how well you think the local governme
HARRIS INTERACTIVE is performing on each of these statements. 27
Detailed Findings
What the Public Wants

Seven in ten (71%) of those who receive information or believe it is
important to receive information say they would use the info to influence
their vote; half (48%) say they would reach out to a representative.
Influence my voting decision 71%
Contact my representative 48%
Attend a town hall meeting or other Older, more educated and higher
28% income individuals as well as
political gathering those living in the East are more
I may not do anything, but want to be likely to say the information might
affect their vote
informed on my government's financial 26%
management
Media publicity 1%
Responses include: letters to the editor,

Other 2% discussing with family and friends and
passing on the information to others

Nothing/Don't know/Decline to answer 1%
Base: Get information or important to get info ( n= 1617)

Q520 How would you use information about your government’s financial management? Please select all that apply.
Disclosing understandable information and being honest in reports
are the most effective ways for the government to demonstrate
accountability.
Total Total
Base 1652 Base 1652
REPORT (NET) 42% Ask for public opinion 3%
Provide open disclosure of spending 18% Be responsible 2%
Respond to needs of economy/Invest money for social
Easy to read/Clear report 7% 2%
cause
Provide financial reports to the public 6% Enforce ways to solve problems 1%
Provide access to financial reports 4% Admit mistakes 1%
Publish reports on a regular basis 3% Other attitude mentions 2%
Publish quarterly reports 3% FINANCIAL ISSUES (NET) 21%
Publish the needs and resolutions to needs 2% Cut down on unnecessary spending/Don't overspend 9%
Transparency with regard to extra
2% Publish budgets with expenses against the income 4%
expenses
Publish annual report 2% Better balancing of budget 3%
Publish monthly reports 1% Independent auditing 3%
Other report mentions 3% Lower the taxes 2%
ATTITUDE (NET) 28% Stay within the budget 1%
Be honest 10% Publish budget 1%

Transparency/Openness 9% Other financial issues mentions 3%
Do things as promised to the public 4%
Q590 As a taxpayer, what is the most effective way for a government to demonstrate accountability?
Around one in ten (7%) Americans mentioned that having
information available on a website would help to show accountability.
Total Total
Base
COMMUNICATION (NET) 19% GENERAL (NET) 12%

INFORMATION (SUBNET) 13% Publish reports in a timely manner 3%
Provide information on the website 7% Punish the responsible politician 1%
Provide detailed financial information 2% Follow the Constitution/laws 1%
Provide accurate information 2% News letters/News reports 1%
Other information mentions 2% Eradicate politics/Corruption/Bureaucracy 1%
Public Meetings 2% Answer the queries 1%
Communication through e-mail 2% Other general mentions 4%
Communication through mail 2% MEDIA (NET) 7%
Keep people informed 1% Newspaper/Press 5%
Improve communication 1% Television 2%
Other communication mentions 1% Other media mentions 2%
Don't know 9%

Refused/Declined to answer 3%
None/Nothing 2%
Q590 As a taxpayer, what is the most effective way for a government to demonstrate
HARRIS INTERACTIVE accountability? 31
Accountability Verbatims
 A 24-7 open-books policy which allows the taxpayer to access and examine
the governments generation of and spending of our tax dollar. This should
be available from general categories of spending right down to individual
line-items, given the individuals level of interest.
 Make available all accounting records. Have an oversight committee to
monitor spending.
 Newspaper reports, make it easy for everyone to find and understand the
way they spend the taxpayer's money.
 Have information available on website in timely manner.
 Provide a grade card for the public to fill out based on their view of the
government spending. Publish those results to show how well the public
thinks things are going, and then have a program in place to require

improvement

Q590 As a taxpayer, what is the most effective way for a government to demonstrate
HARRIS INTERACTIVE accountability? 32
Federal Government: One quarter of Americans (23%) say their biggest
concern with the Federal government’s financial management is wasteful
spending and 14% specifically mentioned pork barrel spending.
Total Total
EXPENDITURE (NET) 55% GENERAL (NET) 27%

Overspending/Wasting money (general) 23% Federal deficit/debt 7%
Pork barrel spending 14% Mismanagement 4%
Spending on war 9% Social security 3%
Healthcare 3% Public interest not taken care of 2%
Too much spending on defense 3% Too much political involvement 2%
Overspending on foreign aid/countries 2% Economy/Employment/Attracting business 1%
Spending on welfare/social causes 2% Too many people/Too big government 1%
Funds spent on salaries/bonuses 1% Other general mentions 8%
Education 1%
Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to
Spending on illegal immigrants 1% mention pork barrel spending (22% vs. 11%) and
Spending on infrastructure 1% Democrats are seven times more likely to mention
concerns about spending on war (14% vs. 2%)
Safety 1%

Other expenditure mentions 5%

Q605 What is your biggest concern about the Federal government’s financial management?
Please be as specific as possible.
Federal Government (cont): Another 14% mentioned negative
perceptions as their biggest concern about the Federal government.
Total Total
ATTITUDE (NET) 14% BUDGET CONCERNS (NET) 5%

Lack of transparency 5% Lack of balanced budget 2%
Honest 4% Allocation of funds 1%
Corruption 2% Other budget mentions 3%
Lack of a responsible/caring attitude 1% TAXES (NET) 4%
Incompetence/Inefficient 1% Increasing/High taxes 1%
Fraud 1% Taxes (unsp) 1%
Other attitude mentions 3% Other tax mentions 1%
COMMUNICATION/INFORMATION (NET) 7% None/Nothing 4%
No accountability 6% Refused/Declined to answer 3%
Other communication/information 1% Don’t know 3%
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to

mention attitudes as a concern (17% vs. 10%)

Federal Government Concerns Verbatims
 There is no accountability for what they spend the money on and why they
choose to allocate an amount to a certain fund.
 Lawmakers in Washington spend our money without any care or concern.
Many think there is an unlimited checkbook, funded by taxpayers. They
need to control spending and eliminate the national debt!
 There is a lot of information available, but it is scattered through a million
agencies and offices, and no easy way to learn of its existence.
 Overspending and pork barrel spending on useless items to benefit
particular interest groups.
 They have no restraint and try to hide their spending in 1000 page
volumes of appropriations bills.
 There is none, financial management that is.

State Government: Two in five (40%) mentioned a problem with
spending practices, with one in ten (10%) expressing a specific
concern about educational spending.
Total Total
Base

Overspending/Wasting money
15% Mismanagement 3%
(general)
Education 10% Economy/Employment/Attracting business 3%
Pork barrel spending 6% Positive mentions 1%
Healthcare 3% Too much political involvement 1%
Spending on infrastructure 3% Lack of development in the local/rural area 1%
Transportation 2% Environmental affairs 1%
Funds spent on salaries/bonuses 1% Reliance on gambling revenues 1%
Spending on illegal immigrants 1% Public interest not taken care of 1%
Spending on welfare/social causes 1% Not familiar enough/Don't know much about it 1%
Safety 1% Lack of oversight 1%
Spend more on reducing poverty 1% Other general mentions 5%

Other expenditure mentions 1% Graduates of 4-year colleges are more likely than non-grads to
mention educational spending concerns (13% vs. 7%)

Q610 What is your biggest concern about your state government’s financial management? Please be as
specific as possible.
State Government (cont): One in six (16%) cited negative attitudes
as their biggest concern with state governments.
Total Total
ATTITUDE (NET) 16% TAXES (NET) 8%

Corruption 3% Increasing/high taxes 3%
Too much cronyism/favoritism 3% Property tax 1%
Honest 3% Taxes (unsp) 1%
Lack of a responsible/caring attitude 3% Cutting taxes/Tax breaks 1%
Lack of transparency 2% Other taxes mentions 1%
Internal conflicts/fights 1% BUDGET CONCERNS (NET) 6%
Incompetence/Inefficient 1% Allocation of funds 2%
Crooks/Idiots 1% Lack of balanced budget 2%
Other attitude mentions 2% Lack of funding 1%
COMMUNICATION/INFORMATION (NET) 8% Timely budget 1%
No accountability 6% Other budget concerns mentions 1%
Lack of information 1% None/Nothing 7%

Other communication/information mentions 1% Decline to answer/No answer 5%
Don't know 5%

State Government Concerns Verbatims
 The voters are not being told the whole story. We only get pieces of the
story at various times.
 Mismanagement of funds allocated to schools.
 The same as the Feds. There needs to be an itemized accounting of
spending which includes the person in authority who signed off on the
spending.
 There is also a lot of waste at the state level.

Local Government: One third (33%) mentioned an expenditure
concern with 15% mentioning overspending or wasteful spending.
Republicans are more likely than Local governments’ financial management
Democrats to mention expenditure had the most positive mentions (4%)
concerns in general (38% vs. 31%), as
well as wasteful spending (20% vs. 12%) Total Total
Base

Overspending/Wasting money
15% Positive mentions 4%
(general)
Education 6% Economy/Employment/Attracting business 4%
Spending on infrastructure 5% Public interest not taken care of 3%
Safety 2% Mismanagement 2%
Spend more on public utility service 2% Unqualified personnel 1%
Funds spent on salaries/bonuses 1% Lack of development in the local/rural area 1%
Pork barrel spending 1% Not familiar enough/Don't know much about it 1%
Transportation 1% Other general mentions 8%
Healthcare 1%
Spending on illegal immigrants 1%

Other expenditure mentions 2%

Q615 What is your biggest concern about your local government’s financial management? Please be as
Local Government (cont): The image of dishonest and unfair
financial management has the same prevalence at the most
localized level.
Total Total
ATTITUDE (NET) 14% BUDGET CONCERNS (NET) 5%

Too much cronyism/favoritism 3% Lack of funding 3%
Honest 3% Lack of balanced budget 1%
Lack of transparency 2% Allocation of funds 1%
Corruption 2% Other budget concerns mentions *
Incompetence/Inefficient 1% TAXES (NET) 5%
Fraud 1% Property tax 2%
Internal conflicts/fights 1% Increasing/high taxes 2%
Crooks/Idiots 1% Taxes (unsp) 1%
Other attitude mentions 1% Other taxes mentions 1%
COMMUNICATION/INFORMATION (NET) 7% None/Nothing 9%
Lack of information 3% Don't know 6%
No accountability 3% Decline to answer/No answer 5%

Other communication/information mentions 1% Those aged 55 years or older are twice as likely to mention
communication barriers than 18-35 years old (10% vs. 5%)
Local Government Concerns Verbatims
 They make some decisions too quietly so it is difficult for citizens to play
any kind of active role.
 Lack of information reported to the citizens by media.
 Exactly where are our dollars going, an itemize list of those things.
 Failure to divulge spending and budgets.
 All they can do is raise our taxes and yet never tell us why the increase is
needed.
 Special interests exert pressure on politicians at a local level.

Detailed Findings
Information Categories

Americans rely on the Federal government for information about health
care and the environment, the state governments for information about
transportation and education and the local governments for safety info.
75%
Health Care 20%
Funding health care coverage and assistance,
4%
funding public health initiatives and programs to
reduce the cost of prescription drugs.
62%
Environment 29%
Funding programs to protect wildlife and 9%
public parks lands as well as promoting
reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.
43% Federal Government
Economy 35% State Government
Funding programs to encourage job creation 22% Local Government
and attract business opportunities.
26%
Transportation 58%
Maintaining, developing, and funding 15%
highways, roads, bridges and public
transportation systems.
19%
Education 57%
Funding public education, building schools
24%
and universities, and providing assistance to
low-income students and their families.
16%

Safety 29%
Supporting programs to build public services such 55%
as police and fire fighting, funding initiatives to
reduce the use of and distribution of illegal drugs.
Base: All Respondents ( n= 1652)
Q600 Of the following, please indicate which one is most important, for you personally,
to receive information on about the government’s financial efforts at the Federal, state and local
HARRIS INTERACTIVE level. 43
Detailed Findings
Information Sources

Currently, the news and newspapers are the public’s two most
commonly used sources for financial management information. Online,
friends and family, and peers and colleagues comprise the second tier.
73%
News 70%
Tier 1
57%
58%
Newspaper 58%
59%
33%
Online 30%
24%
Tier 2
33%
Friends and family 32%
32%
31%
Peers and colleagues 32%
32%
6%
Mail 9%
9%
Tier 3
3% Federal Government
Town hall, government meetings 4%
13% State Government
5% Local Government
Other 5%
5%

12%
Do not get any information 13%
15%
Q500 How do you currently get information about your [Federal/state/local] governments’ financial
management?
Older, more educated and higher income individuals tend to utilize
certain information sources to a greater extent than their respective
counterparts.
FEDERAL STATE LOCAL
News
35+ vs. 18-34 year olds 79% vs. 61% 75% vs. 57% 60% vs. 48%
Some college or more vs. HS or less 76% vs. 59% 73% vs. 52% 60% vs. 41%
Newspaper
$35, 000+ income vs. <$35,000 61% vs. 44% 61% vs. 44% 62% vs. 49%
Online
Males vs. Females 38% vs. 28% 34% vs. 25% 28% vs. 21%
$125,000+ income vs. <$125,000 45% vs. 30% 38% vs. 28% 32% vs. 22%
Some college or more vs. HS or less 36% vs. 20% 32% vs. 18% 26% vs. 16%
Town hall or meeting
Do not get any information
Females vs. Males 15% vs. 10% 16% vs. 11% 17% vs. 12%

18-34 vs. 35+ year olds 19% vs. 9% 21% vs. 10% 22% vs. 12%
HS or less vs. Some college or more 24% vs. 10% 24% vs. 11% 25% vs. 13%
<$35,000 vs. $35,000+ income 18% vs. 11% 21% vs. 11% 24% vs. 12%
Q500 How do you currently get information about your [Federal/state/local] governments’ financial management?
Demographics

Demographics
Total Total
Gender Male 48% Race/Ethnicity White 71%
Female 52% Hispanic 12%
Age 18 - 19 2% Black/ African American (Net) 11%
20 - 24 5% Black 9%
25 - 29 17% African American 2%
30 - 34 7% Asian or Pacific Islander 1%
35 - 39 12% Native American or Alaskan native 1%
40 - 44 7% Mixed racial background 1%
45 - 49 12% Other race 1%
50 - 54 8% Decline to answer 2%
55 - 59 9% Education Less than high school 1%
60 - 64 6% Some high school 1%
65 and over 16% High school or equivalent (e.g., GED) 16%
Region East 22% Some college, but no degree 28%
Midwest 22% Associate's degree 8%

South 34% College (e.g., B.A., B.S.) 23%
West 22% Some graduate school, but no degree 6%
Graduate school (e.g., M.S., M.D., Ph.D.) 17%
Demographics
Total Total
Income Less than $15,000 4% Employment Status Employed full time 53%
$15,000 to $24,999 7% Employed part time 11%
$25,000 to $34,999 9% Self-employed 10%
$35,000 to $49,999 12% Not employed, but looking for work 4%
$50,000 to $74,999 19% Not employed and not looking for work 3%
$75,000 to $99,999 12% Retired 19%
$100,000 to
9% Student 11%
$124,999
$125,000 to
5% Homemaker 9%
$149,999
$150,000 to
4% Political Affiliation Republican 26%
$199,999
$200,000 to
1% Democrat 35%
$249,999
$250,000 or more 2% Independent 27%
Decline to answer 15% Other 4%
Not sure 6%
Decline to answer 4%

Conclusions & Recommendations

Conclusions
 Americans want transparent financial management information but are

frustrated with what they are currently receiving across all levels of
government.
>> Providing readily accessible information that is detailed yet understandable will
narrow the expectations gap that currently exists with regard to financial
management reporting for government at all levels.
>> An excellent opportunity exists to leverage the Internet as a means of
communication.
 The public perceives governments to be opaque, not fully open and honest
and careless in their spending practices.
>> Openly circulating complete expenditure information will increase governments’
accountability, in turn, positively enhancing their image among the public.
 Increasing availability of financial management information may have some

particularly significant, positive, consequences as it relates to voting

behaviors, increasing trust in government, and peoples’ engagement with their
governments.
About Harris
Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest-
growing market research firms in the world. The company
provides innovative research, insights and strategic
advice to help its clients make more confident decisions
which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in
performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The
Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent
opinion polls and for pioneering online market research
methods. The company has built what it believes to be
the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the
Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients
worldwide through its North American, European and
Asian offices, and through a global network of
independent market research firms. More information
about Harris Interactive may be obtained at
www.harrisinteractive.com.
To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be

invited to participate in online surveys, register at
www.harrispollonline.com.

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Survey Report on Perceptions of Governmental

Association of Government Accountants

All rights reserved.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Background & Objectives……………………………………………..3

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

This research, commissioned by the Association of Government Accountants and

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

 Audience: United States residents, 18 years or older

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

 Poor performance on financial management reporting has created a problem

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

 A significant portion of the population is searching online for information on

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Extremely/Very Satisfied (NET)

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

34% Top 2 Box

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Base: All Respondents (n= 1652)

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Responsible to the 78% 9.1

Open and honest in 73% 8.7

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Base: All Respondents (n = 1652)

The Federal government is responsible to the public for its spending.

Importance 78% 15% 3% 3%

10 point scale: 10=Extremely important, 1=Not important at all

Performance 9% 36% 49% 6%

10 point scale: 10=Extremely well, 1=Not well at all

The Federal government is open and honest in its spending practices.

Importance 73% 17% 6% 4%

Performance 5% 32% 57% 6%

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Importance 50% 38% 5% 6%

The Federal government educates the public on its current challenges.

The Federal provides understandable information about its finances.

Importance 62% 30% 5% 5%

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Top 2 Box (9,10 on 10 point scale) Mean Scores Gap

Open and honest in 60% 8.1

Educates public on 49%

Provides timely 47% 7.7 - 3.7

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

The state government is responsible to the public for its spending.

Importance 64% 23% 6% 6%

The state government is open and honest in its spending practices.

Importance 60% 27% 7% 6%

10 point scale: 10=Extremely important, 1=Not important at all

5% 50% 35% 10%

©2007, Harris Interactive Inc.

Base: All Respondents (n = 1652)

Importance 47% 40% 6% 7%

10 point scale: 10=Extremely important, 1=Not important at all