Thank you for participating in the Public Sector Pulse Survey, an initiative of The Abbi Agency. TAA is an integrated marketing and communications agency that builds brands, shifts perceptions and inspires action. With offices in Albuquerque, Reno, Las Vegas and Helena, Montana, our certified B Corporation partners with public agencies, destinations, health organizations and leading brands to tackle complex communications challenges and build stronger communities.

Your input will help us understand the priorities, challenges and needs of public-sector communicators and establish useful benchmarks for the profession from across the country. We’ll look at responses as a whole, and nothing you share will be publicly tied to you or your organization.

The findings will inform TAA’s 2027 Public Sector Pulse Trends Report. Our hope is that the report will serve as a practical tool for your own work, offering a clearer picture of what peers are facing and where the profession is headed. The survey will also help shape our upcoming Public Sector Pulse Summit, a free virtual event on Dec. 8 from 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. PT. Topics and speakers will be guided by what we hear from you, and Summit attendees will receive early access to the Trends Report before its public release. Register for the summit here.

Questions? Please email Jennifer Davies, VP of Strategic Communication, at jennifer@theabbiagency.com

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1. Name (Required.)

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2. Email (Required.)

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3. Agency (Required.)

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4. What type of organization do you represent? (Required.)

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5. Compared to last year, your communications budget is: (Required.)

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6. How would you describe public trust in your organization today compared with three years ago? (Required.)

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7. Does your organization contract with an outside communications, marketing or PR agency, consultant, or freelancer to help with strategy, content creation or execution?

This refers to outside firms or individuals you pay for services — not software platforms or tools (e.g., social media schedulers, email marketing platforms, design tools). (Required.)

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8. What do you believe is the single most effective way government organizations can build public trust? (Required.)

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9. Do you believe your communications team has sufficient resources to meet organizational goals? (Required.)

Strongly disagree Neutral Strongly agree
Clear
i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.
Communications Challenges

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10. Rate the challenges having the greatest impact on your organization today? (Required.)

  Not Impactful Slightly impactful Somewhat impactful Very impactful Extremely impactful
Building trust and credibility
Reaching target audiences
Measuring Return on Investments (ROI)
Crisis preparedness
Employee communications
Misinformation
Community engagement
Workforce recruitment
Executive visibility/thought leadership
Budget constraints

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11. Rate how difficult it is to reach the following audiences? (Required.)

  Very Easy to Reach Easy to Reach Neutral Difficult to Reach Very Difficult to Reach
Gen Z (1997 - 2012)
Young families
Rural residents
Multilingual communities
Business decision-makers
Elected officials/public officials
Retirees
Visitors/tourists
Media Landscape

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12. Rate what communication channels deliver the strongest results for your organization? (Required.)

  No results Weak results Moderate results Strong results Very strong results
PR/Media Relations
Email Marketing
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
TikTok
YouTube
Events/Community Engagement
Paid Traditional Advertising
Paid Digital Advertising
Influencer Partnerships
SMS Text
Direct Mail

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13. Which media outlets provide the greatest value to your organization's communications efforts? (Required.)

Future Trends

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14. How is your organization currently using AI in communications? (Required.)

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15. How do you expect each of the following trends to affect your organization’s communications over the next three years? (Required.)

  Very positive Somewhat positive Neutral Somewhat negative Very negative Unsure
Artificial intelligence and automation
Trust in government and public institutions
Growth of video-first communication
Changes in social media platforms
Fragmentation of news and media consumption
Data, analytics and measurement
Influencers and creators
Misinformation and disinformation
Declining local news coverage

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16. If a company or government entity were moving to your state tomorrow, where would you advise them to invest their first communications dollar? (Required.)

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17. Which government organization do you believe is currently setting the standard for effective communications, and what are they doing particularly well?

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18. In what state is your primary audience? (Required.)

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19. What is your organization’s approximate annual communications and marketing budget, excluding internal staff salaries and benefits? (Required.)

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20. What geographic areas does your organization serve? Check all that apply (Required.)

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21. What is your job function? (Select all that apply)

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22. What is your seniority level?

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23. What are the resources you need to succeed in your job right now?

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24. Please describe any challenges with leadership buy-in that make it difficult to move forward with certain communications strategies.

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25. Is there anything else you would like to share or add?

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