FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2002

NEW SURVEY: RECRUITMENT PROBLEM REMAINS, DESPITE INCREASING RESPECT FOR GOVERNMENT'S WORK SINCE 9/11

Washington, D.C. – A majority of Americans believe the federal government's work is more important today than it was prior to the September 11th attacks, but the events of the past year have not increased their interest in working for the government, according to a new national poll conducted for the Partnership for Public Service by Peter Hart and Robert Teeter. “The good news is that more than half of all respondents see the value of government more clearly. The bad news is, increased respect does not yet equal increased interest in service,” said Partnership President Max Stier.

“At a time when the Administration is trying to focus Americans on the September of Service, and a new Department of Homeland Security will demand the talents of the nation's most skilled workers, we've so far failed to convey the message that government service can be just as fulfilling, and just as critical, as other types of public service,” he added.

“September 11th solidified the importance of government to most people, but the government faces a daunting challenge to attract able, motivated Americans to accomplish the critical work still to be done,” said Peter Hart. Poll results show:

• 51 percent of respondents think the work of the federal government is more important since the September 11 attacks.
• Another 45 percent believe the work of government is “as important.”
• Yet, 80 percent of respondents said their interest in working for the federal government had either stayed the same or decreased, essentially unchanged in the past eleven months.

This poll is based on telephone interviews with 604 randomly selected, currently employed adults and students nationwide, and was conducted Sept. 3-5, 2002. The margin of sampling error for overall results is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The Partnership is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to recruiting and retaining excellence in the federal civil service through public-private partnerships, research and educational efforts, and legislative advocacy.

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© 2007 Partnership for Public Service