A report by the British-based think tank Serco Institute found that 90 percent of people in the UAE are overwhelmingly happy with the quality of government services they had received in the past two years.
Based on analysis of a nationwide survey of UAE citizens and residents, the Serco Institute’s report ‘Transformation, digitization & happiness: Public opinion on UAE government services’ is the first output from the think tank in the Emirates with a series of reports and research planned for release throughout the year.
The first-of-its-kind research found a close relationship between the overall happiness of residents and citizens and the quality of government services. 85 percent of people opined that their experience of government services impacts their overall happiness.
The majority of respondents also said that one bad experience with services provided by the government also affects their ‘trust’ in the government. Further, the report outlines findings that people felt services could be ‘generic’ and sometimes lacked ‘attentiveness’, but that these issues could be solved by creating more digital access.
Phil Malem, CEO of Serco Middle East said, “ As Dubai undergoes its journey towards a 5.8 million resident population by 2040, the insights of the Serco Institute will help identify the innovations, ideas and issues that define government services for these residents now and in the future.”
The research indicates that even though, people are largely happy with the current quality of UAE government services, they need increased digital access, more unified platforms and greater personalization.
Kate Steadman Director – Serco Institute
“The UAE is on a strong trajectory as it develops solutions to meet these demands, but as the Government continues to transform how it delivers services, it faces the twin challenges of maintaining quality in services that are not changing while ensuring new initiatives are a success as soon as they are launched. The research shows that the trust of citizens and residents cannot be taken for granted, and with one bad experience they can lose faith in government services, which in turn impacts their happiness and also has significant consequences for the wider transformation of services.”
The report concludes by pointing out seven recommendations, despite the UAE government is on the right path as they continue to transform services, careful management is needed, utilizing service-user insight, the support of the private sector and other external partners to ensure the quality of delivery is maintained and enhanced.
Serco Institute
The Serco Institute, originally established by international public services organization Serco which has a core offering in the Middle East of the workforce, data and digital asset management undertakes research into public service development and delivery to help governments create better and more innovative solutions across a range of services for citizens and residents.
