Research Finds Civility Declining in Public Interactions with Government Employees

Each year since 2009, PSHRA has partnered with MissionSquare Research Institute and the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE) to conduct an annual survey focusing on recruitment, retention, compensation, organizational culture and priorities, and other top-of-mind issues for public sector HR professionals, along with including related data from prior surveys in the series.

The 2026 State and Local Government Workforce Survey report provides an overview of data from the 2026 poll, which garnered responses from more than 600 state and local government HR professionals. (Of the total respondents, 77% were from local government, 15% from state government agencies, and 9% came from special districts—utilities, schools or parks, for instance.)

Among the topics this year’s poll addressed was civility—or a lack thereof—in public interactions involving government employees.

“Declining civility is primarily an issue in public interactions, whether those take place in person or virtually,” according to the report, referencing a recent survey in which 87% of municipal executives said they have noticed such a regression.

This year’s state and local government workforce survey asked respondents the extent to which they saw incivility as a problem in public interactions with employees. Among the 362 survey participants who answered the question, 41% said it was “somewhat problematic,” with another 6% saying it was “very problematic.”

The survey “does not address how to make others more polite,” the report read. “Rather, from a human resource perspective, it asks about training, security and other measures to assist staff in handling difficult situations.”

For example, survey participants were asked what methods they use to support civility and staff safety, with regard to routine public interactions (not public safety calls for service.)

The largest number of the 324 respondents answering the question (73%) said they provide customer service training. Another 57% reported conducting de-escalation training. Fifty-six percent said they have implemented silent alarms or other security measures.

Nearly one-fifth of respondents (19%) said they offer privacy protection for employees, to mitigate doxxing or other harassment. In addition, 11% indicated that they make social workers or other trained staff available to assist.