The latest results of the E-Government Satisfaction Index rose to 74 on the ACSI's 100-point scale, up from the previous high of 73.9, set two quarters ago, Larry Freed, president of ForeSee Results and author of the report, said in a statement.

"This aggregate score for the 92 sites measured this quarter is the highest quarterly score on record since the index was created in September 2002," Freed said. "This is a turnaround from last quarter when citizen satisfaction had stalled."

The E-Government score still trails those of private sector e-business (75.9) and e-commerce (79.6), but that gap is gradually narrowing, according to the report. The 92 sites studied in the second quarter of 2006 are divided into four categories depending on the primary function of the site: Portals/Department Main Sites; News/Information; Ecommerce/Transactions; and Recruitment/Careers. Aggregate scores rose in all four categories.

Twenty sites scored 80 or higher, a threshold generally recognized by the ACSI as demonstrating excellent commitment to customer satisfaction, according to the report. Online satisfaction with federal Web sites usually improves incrementally, Freed said.

Forty-nine percent of the sites measured this quarter showed improvement in satisfaction -- up from 31 percent in the first quarter -- though no site posted a quarterly increase of more than three points. Meanwhile, 24 percent showed no change and 27 percent declined, he said.