A new survey has found that 56% of people are satisfied with their local authority while 93% of people believe their local area is a good place to live.
The Local Authority Satisfaction Survey 2019 was carried out by Ipsos MRBI for the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC).
The survey combines the results from 2018, which covered 10 local authorities, and from 2019 which researched a further 11.
A 2020 poll will survey the remaining 10.
Of the 2019 and 2018 surveys, the research found that 69% felt their local authority was working to make their area cleaner and greener, while 61% agreed that it was making a positive contribution to the quality of life in their area.
51% agreed that their local council cared about residents while the same amount felt their local authority was doing a good job.
However, only 42% agreed that their local authority was efficient and well run with only 34% believing their local council to be open and transparent.
Just 28% felt their local council provided good value for money with a lack of knowledge about their council and its services being the main reason given.
Colleen Savage chair of the NOAC Customer Survey subcommittee said that although the local authority areas surveyed were different in 2019 to 2018 the results were broadly similar.
"While the general perception of local authorities is generally positive overall the surveys suggests that local councils need to be more proactive in communicating with those living in their area," said Ms Savage.
Young people were found to be the least knowledgeable about their local authority with 72% of 18-25 years olds not knowing what it does.
By contrast, 93% of people aged 65 or older had some knowledge of what their council did.
The survey also found that the four most important services provided by local councils are: roads and road safety; housing; amenities; and environmental protection.
