Customer surveys are one part of a larger National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) customer feedback system developed in response to the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act, enacted in 1993. This report summarizes the results of the 1997 Customer Satisfaction Survey, which surveyed a sample of key NCES customers to determine their levels of satisfaction and needs related to NCES publications and reports, data files, and services. The survey also asked benchmarking questions about other organizations from which customers obtained education data.

Unlike the 1996 survey, which surveyed known customers across all categories of NCES customers, the 1997 survey targeted two important segments of the overall NCES customer base—education policymakers and researchers. The target population was divided into four groups: federal policymakers, state policymakers, local policymakers (who constituted 92 percent of the target population), and academic researchers. There were 2,948 eligible individuals in the sample; 84 percent (2,465) responded. The body of the report analyzes the responses to survey questions; appendices contain the survey itself and examine the survey methodology.