State and local governments are “under-delivering” open and honest information about spending practices to the public, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Alexandria, Va.-based Association of Government Accountants (AGA). However, the survey found that respondents were most disappointed with the federal government’s financial reporting practices.

The 1,652 adults who responded to the online survey said government’s openness and honesty in spending habits was “vitally important,” but they considered the government’s performance in the area to be poor. Also, most said that all levels of government are not being “responsible to the public for its spending.” There was a 67 percentage point difference between the amount of financial information respondents expect from the government and what they receive.

The results of the survey establish a benchmark for tracking future progress in improving the public’s perception of government accounting practices, says AGA Executive Director Relmond Van Daniker. “AGA members working in government at all levels are in the very forefront of the fight to increase levels of government accountability and transparency,” he says. “We believe that the traditional methods of communicating government financial information — through reams of audited financial statements that have little relevance to the taxpayer — must be supplemented by government financial reporting that expresses complex financial details in an understandable form.”

Results of the survey are available at www.agacgfm.org/harrispoll2008.aspx.