Saudi Arabia on right path in transforming government services, new survey finds

Saudi Arabia on right path in transforming government services, new survey finds
March 20, 2021, 10:57 am

The skyline of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. (File photo)

A nation-wide survey in Saudi Arabia has found that 84 percent of people described themselves as being “somewhat” or “very” happy with the government services they had used in the past two years.

The survey has been carried out by a newly-launched think tank Serco Institute in Saudi Arabia which has been set up to undertake research into public service design, development and delivery in order to help governments create better and more innovative solutions across a range of services for citizens and residents.

Serco is an international public services organization offering in the Middle East workforce services, data and digital asset management.

The think tank’s report, ‘Transformation, digitisation & happiness: Public opinion on government services in Saudi Arabia,’ is the first output from the Serco Institute in the region, with a series of reports and research planned for release throughout the year.

This report outlines findings that in the post-pandemic scenario, people are now more likely to access services digitally.

The survey revealed that service users regard government services as digital (77 percent), attentive (72 percent), modern (79 percent), clear (77 percent) and consistent (76 percent) in the information they provide.

A close relationship was also found between the happiness of residents and citizens, and the quality of government services.

Commenting on the survey results, Engineer Basem Aljedai, CEO Government Innovation Center (Govx Hub), said “We can see that 80 percent achieve citizen happiness through these services, we have to look at the quality of the infrastructure.”

“In the Kingdom, we are proud to say we have a strong infrastructure on which we can build strong services. Citizens and residents can easily access these services from anywhere in the world and have their applications processed remotely, raising the level of their happiness.”

Central to the report’s recommendations is that Saudi Arabia is on the right path as they continue to transform government services. The report outlines that this should be done carefully, using service user insight, the support of the private sector and other external partners.

This is particularly important, according to the research, due to the close relationship between government services, happiness, and trust.

Kate Steadman, Serco Institute Director, said: “Our survey has found that the Government is on the right track when it comes to its focus on increasing digital access. Users want quicker, simpler, and more transparent services. With greater digital access, a focus on Vision 2030, and supported by the work of YESSER (e-Government Program), government services are set to continue to evolve to meet the demands and appetites of Saudi Arabian citizens and residents.”