Local government leaders are combating an unprecedented public trust crisis, new research suggests

Written by Mike Bell and Dr. Maria Church

Over the past several decades, and increasingly in the post pandemic years, public trust in government has been declining. Our institutions face unprecedented challenges such as public health crises, wildfires, flooding and other severe weather events. In addition to navigating these complex issues, local governments also face ongoing socio-political problems relating to good governance, including funding issues, labor shortages and an increasingly divided electorate.

Government moves at the speed of trust. When combined with labor shortages and funding deficits, a lack of trust creates foundational issues that impact local governments and their ability to plan for, and react to, pressing issues in their community, as well as delivering on their mandate to improve quality of life for constituents.

Pew Research shows that trust in government has fallen an alarming 49 points since 1968, and research from Polco’s National Research Center suggests that overall confidence in local government has seen an eight-point drop in the last three years alone. These figures reveal a concerning reality—trust in government is plummeting, and it is no longer a distant concern but a palpable issue that is preventing local government leaders from acting decisively around policy making, budgeting and strategic planning.

The 2023 State of Local Government Leadership Pipeline survey, released by Government Leadership Solutions in partnership with Envisio, paints a picture of the impact that lack of public trust has on local government leaders. While pundits, experts, academics and lawmakers have identified lack of trust as a concern for the effectiveness of public sector institutions, this new, proprietary research shows that local government leaders themselves are now feeling the effects of this decline.

In fact, the survey found that local government leaders believed trust was the biggest issue facing local governments today–even more so than funding deficits or the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the survey, 58 percent of respondents placed a lack of trust at the top of their list of challenges and 43 percent identified evolving public perception and trust as a top issue. Overall, trust, as a challenge, was placed higher than funding issues (46 percent) and budgeting issues (42 percent), both of which are commonly considered key challenges facing today’s local governments.

We’ve been interested in the impact of public trust on local governments and effective ways to build trust between residents and the public sector for many years. Through our work with hundreds of local governments and other public sector organizations, we’ve been able to identify the following as key factors in building trust between a government body and its constituents.

A quality workforce
In contrast to the private sector, local governments are still struggling to attract and retain skilled employees in the post-pandemic era. Local government jobs outside of education are hovering almost 2 percent below figures reported in March 2020. Experts, analysts and lawmakers all have different solutions for overcoming workforce challenges at a local level, but all agree that it is a priority—Government Leadership Solutions’ 2023 research found that maintaining optimal levels of employment was ranked second highest as a key obstacle facing local governments today, with exactly half of respondents citing it as a top issue.

Similarly, research conducted by the National League of Cities found that during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, local government employment declined by more than 300,000 workers. This labor shortage threatens municipalities’ abilities to perform essential functions and to deliver efficient and effective services to residents.

Our own research into the constructs of public trust found that delivering services in such a manner, as well as clearly showing responsiveness to community needs, is a key factor in building and maintaining trust between the public and their governments.

A quality, well-staffed workforce matters.

Inspired leadership
Local governments play a key role in driving positive change and improving quality of life in their communities. From ensuring public safety to managing infrastructure to delivering essential services, local governments and their leaders are responsible for acting as responsible stewards of the resources afforded to them—and in the United States, those resources amount to approximately $2 trillion taxpayer dollars per year. Public trust in this stewardship depends heavily on the ability to deploy and administer these funds wisely, and to report on the spending of them clearly. To ensure this, a strong and competent workforce led by inspired public sector leaders is critical.

Public sector officials have sounded the alarm about the lack of readily available leaders and how this poses a significant threat to effective community services. Findings from the 2023 State of Local Government Leadership Pipeline survey indicate that only 25 percent of respondents rated their leadership pipeline as good or excellent, while a mere 29 percent allocated budgetary resources toward leadership development.

Approximately 42 percent of the local government leaders who responded to the study said they worry that a lack of leadership could cause a “crisis” for local governments. With $2 trillion at stake across the United States each year, it’s easy to understand why respondents want to cultivate strong leaders for the future of local government.

Trust through transparency
Research from Edelmen finds that trust correlates strongly with an informed electorate. According to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, there is a 16-point gap in trust levels between the informed public and the mass population. Unfortunately, only 15 percent of Americans identify themselves as “informed.”

Transparency and effective communication are both critical components in informing the public and building trust. Transparent practices, such as organizational performance management, regular and clear reporting, and public-facing dashboards that display progress on strategic initiatives and outcomes, help the public feel more informed about the work of government and inspire confidence in the administration of their tax dollars.

Our own research shows that being open and transparent with the public in a way that fosters regular sharing of relevant information and two-way communication is a core construct of building trusted public agencies,

Building these practices into the local government workplace can be challenging, but doing so can pay significant dividends for those organizations willing to innovate and expand their transparency efforts.

Addressing the erosion of trust
Local governments are at the forefront of safeguarding our communities from the increasingly complex issues that threaten our society—however, we cannot overlook the profound erosion of public trust which threatens the very foundation of our democracy and inhibits the ability of our institutions to plan, respond and effectively manage these crises.

To restore trust in our institutions, local governments must consider the importance of developing a quality workforce, inspired leadership, and transparent and effective communications with their communities. Rebuilding trust is not just an aspiration; it is a necessity for the well-being of our communities and the preservation of our democratic values. Addressing these foundational issues can ensure local governments continue to fulfill their critical role in shaping the lives of their residents and securing a brighter future for all.

Mike Bell, CEO and co-founder at Envisio the leading strategy and performance management software solution for local government. Bell founded Envisio with a vision to build trusted, transparent and high-performing public agencies.

Dr. Maria Church is the CEO of Government Leadership Solutions. Throughout her more than 25 years working with local governments, Dr. Church has helped leaders transform their organizational culture and develop their leadership skills.