The proper balance between governmental secrecy and open government is at the forefront of contemporary public debate. Citizens have different degrees of interest in and demand for governmental transparency. Using data from a national online survey of more than 1,800 respondents, we develop several indices to measure citizens' demand for transparency at the local level and explore its correlates. We also examine the correlates of citizens' reported requests for information from local government. The data and analysis suggest that there are several dimensions to the public's demand for transparency, including fiscal, safety, and government concerns, and principled openness. Age, political ideology, confidence in government leaders, frequency of contacting government, and especially the perception that there is currently not enough access to government appear to drive the public's demand for transparency, although determinants differ for each dimension. Some, although not all, of these factors also predict citizens' actual requests for government information.
Practitioner Points• Representative bureaucracy can promote diversity within government organizations and, more broadly, social equity throughout the nation.• Bureaucracies that are representative of the people they serve can enhance citizens' trust in government and foster the achievement of democratic goals.• Through its effects on legitimacy and trust, representativeness can influence the extent to which clients and citizens cooperate and comply with government, thus coproducing important policy outcomes.• Increasing the representation of women and people of color in government can promote bureaucratic accountability.
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