Legal Needs Australia-Wide Law Survey
About the Survey | Completing the Survey | Who We Are | Privacy | Questions and Support
ABOUT THE SURVEY
What is the Legal Needs Australia-Wide (LAW+) Survey?
The LAW+ survey is being carried out right across Australia with a random selection of people. Every day, Australians deal with common problems - from housing and employment disputes to family matters or consumer rights. We’re surveying people from all over the country to understand the kinds of legal problems people face, how they deal with them, and the ways these problems affect their lives.
The survey asks you about:
- Problems or disputes you may have had in the last two years - common everyday problems like a suspicious bill, trouble at work, a dispute with a neighbour, or a hassle with a government service.
- A few follow-up questions about one of those problems, if you’ve had any.
- Some details about you (such as age, gender, where you live, and your household situation), to help us understand whether legal needs vary between Australians from different backgrounds and communities.
Why should I take part?
By sharing your experiences, you’ll help government and community organisations better understand the legal problems Australians face - so that legal services can do more to get people the help they need, when they need it.
As a thank-you for your time, you can will receive a small payment when you complete the survey. For more information about how to claim this thank-you, please see your recruitment information or email [email protected].
Do I have to take part?
No. The survey is voluntary. You don’t have to take part, and there are no consequences if you choose not to.
I received a letter in the mail – how was my household chosen?
Your address was selected completely at random from a national list of all Australian addresses. We don’t know anything about the person or people who live here. Your address can’t be swapped for another one, so your response represents many similar households and really matters.
We ask that the adult (aged 18 or older) who most recently had a birthday completes the survey. It’s a simple, fair way to choose just one person. Even if you haven’t had any legal problems, we’d still like to hear from you.
COMPLETING THE SURVEY
How do I complete the survey?
If you received this invitation in the mail: scan the QR code on your letter, or type the web address printed beneath it. Online is the quickest and easiest way to take part.
On paper or over the phone: if you can’t do it online, call 1800 290 917 to arrange a time to complete the survey by phone, or to ask for a paper copy to be posted to you.
If you received a digital or panel invitation to participate: you can complete the survey online, using the device you are on now. Follow the link you were sent and answer the questions on screen.
Do I have to answer every question?
No. Many of the questions have an option “prefer not to say” if you would rather not answer. You need to provide answers to some questions that tell us whether you are eligible to take part.
Can I stop once I’ve started?
Yes. You can stop at any time before you submit. If you don’t submit your answers, nothing you’ve entered is kept or used.
How long will it take?
About 10 minutes.
Sensitive questions and support
Some questions ask about sensitive experiences, such as problems at home, your safety, or contact with the justice system. You can skip these questions if you’d prefer not to answer. If any of these topics raise concerns for you, support is available:
[1800RESPECT - 1800 737 732 - family and domestic violence support]
[Lifeline - 13 11 14 - crisis support]
[13YARN – 13 92 76 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support]
Is the survey questionnaire available in other languages?
Arabic: يرجى مسح رمز الاستجابة السريعة لإكمال هذا الاستبيان المهم المجهول الهوية
Mandarin: 敬请扫码在线完成这项重要的匿名问卷调查
Cantonese: 請掃描二維碼在線完成這項重要的匿名調查問卷
Punjabi: ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰਕੇ QR ਕੋਡ ਨੂੰ ਸਕੈਨ ਕਰਕੇ ਇਸ ਮਹੱਤਵਪੂਰਨ, ਗੁਪਤ ਔਨਲਾਈਨ ਸਰਵੇਖਣ ਨੂੰ ਪੂਰਾ ਕਰੋ।
Vietnamese: Vui lòng hoàn thành khảo sát trực tuyến quan trọng và ẩn danh này bằng cách truy cập mã QR
WHO WE ARE
Who is conducting the study
The survey is being conducted by Ipsos, an independent social research company, on behalf of the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales. The Foundation has partnered with organisations across the states and territories to understand legal needs across Australia.
The Law and Justice Foundation of NSW is an independent statutory body that works to improve access to justice for the community, especially for people facing social or economic disadvantage. To learn more, visit lawfoundation.net.au/.
PRIVACY
Can I be identified?
We treat your answers in confidence. Your responses are kept separate from your contact details, and we remove information that could identify you, so that no individual or household is identified in any results we publish. Ipsos keeps your address details confidential and uses them only to send you the survey and one reminder.
How will you use my information?
Once you submit your answers, they’re combined with responses from more than 20,000 other people. Only our team of qualified researchers can access this combined data. We analyse it to answer questions like: what are the most common legal problems, and do some groups face more legal problems than others?
We share what we learn in reports that are freely available on our website, and we raise it with government and other organisations to help make legal help easier to get.
After our analysis, other qualified researchers can apply to use parts of the de-identified data for projects that help improve legal support.
If, at the end of the survey, you agree to be contacted about future research, those details are kept separately from your answers. If you decline a future invitation, your details are removed.
Because your answers are de-identified, we’re not able to withdraw them once you’ve submitted.
How is my privacy protected?
Your answers are treated in confidence and are not linked back to you. Ipsos takes steps to make sure you can’t be individually identified in any findings, reports or other outputs. Ipsos, the Foundation and the partner organisations comply with the Privacy Act 1988 in how the survey data is used and stored. Taking part — or choosing not to — won’t affect any legal support you may access.
QUESTIONS AND SUPPORT
If you have any questions, or need help with the survey, please contact our free helpdesk on 1800 290 917 (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm) or by email at [email protected]. If you have concerns about the way this study has been conducted, you can contact Iris Ethics at [email protected]
