The 87 Web sites that were measured received an aggregate score of 73.9 on ACSI's 100-point scale, up just .3 percent from last quarter, according to Ann Arbor, Mich.-based ForeSee Results Inc., a sponsor of the ACSI, which is produced by the University of Michigan. However, that increase continues a stagnating trend over the past year, ForeSee President Larry Freed said in a statement.

"Typically, the ... Satisfaction Index has shown a steady, more pronounced year-over-year improvement in aggregate scores, proof that federal government Web sites have been able to stay ahead of citizens' evolving standards," Freed said. "This quarter, for the first time, the aggregate year-over-year satisfaction score is stagnant, with citizen satisfaction at the same level as it was in [the] fourth quarter 2005."

That may be because expectations for government sites continue to rise, shaped by user experiences at private-sector Web sites such as Amazon.com and online banking sites, Freed said.

"While e-government sites have narrowed the gap between private sector sites in comparable categories, such as portals and news/information sites, the public sector continues to lag significantly behind in e-commerce/transactions," he said. "This is important, as many government sites are striving to migrate more business functions to the Web, including distribution of forms, registration for services and e-mail inquiries."

Because of budget concerns, it can be particularly difficult for e-government sites to keep pace with deep-pocketed private-sector companies when it comes to innovation and improvement, Freed said in the statement. That's particularly true of e-commerce and transaction sites, where private industry scored better in ACSI surveys.