The Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS)

A Victoria-wide survey to understand how people see, understand and engage with the law.

Discover how people understand and engage with the law

The Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS) is ground-breaking research to help us better understand legal capability, attitudes and experience of the law in the Victorian community. 

The PULS is a large-scale face-to-face survey exploring how people understand, experience and navigate law and everyday life problems with a legal dimension (‘justiciable’ problems). It is made up of a predominantly face-to-face sample of 6,008 respondents across Victoria employing the best survey methods available to yield the highest quality data. 

This report is the first of three volumes. It explores legal need in Victoria, how justiciable problems are experienced, what people do about them and how they progress and conclude.  

The second volume of the PULS report provides an overview of levels of a range of different dimensions of legal capability across the Victorian population. It also explores the sociodemographic factors associated with different levels of legal capability.

The third volume of the PULS report draws upon the full PULS survey dataset to investigate more fully the drivers of problem resolving behaviour and problem outcomes, by incorporating the new legal capability measures into the statistical models of problem resolving behaviour and outcome reported in this volume.

Project publications

Webinars, workshops, forums and public events to support engagement with the justice system.

A New Perspective on Legal Need and Legal Capability - Report summary
June 2025

This summary looks at how PULS volume 3 demonstrates that legal capability matters and suggests new directions for reform to enable public legal assistance services to best meet people’s needs.

Summary
Understanding and Capability - Report summary
June 2025

This summary looks at both the diversity of capability in the population and the range of problem types as identified in PULS Volume 2

Summary
Everyday Problems and Legal Need - Report Summary
June 2025

This summary looks at key areas explored through the questionnaire in the survey and reveals some notable insights from PULS Vol 1.

Summary
Are legal problems bad for your health? Are health issues bad for your law?
April 2025

People with physical and mental health issues fare badly at law. Responding to the evidence through effective policy and practices could make a significant difference to many people.

Short paper
The Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS) Volume 3: A New Perspective on Legal Need and Legal Capability
August 2024

The third volume reports on the links between legal need and legal capability. It investigates the impact and implications of legal capability on legal problem experience and resolution.

Report
Young people’s experience of legal problems
July 2024

Targeted and tailored engagement is necessary to increase awareness of young people's everyday justiciable problems and available legal help.

In Brief
Problems at work: Young people, employment and legal need
May 2024

For young people, links between employment problems and mental health are particularly strong, with psychological distress a common consequence.

Short paper
Mental distress and experience of legal problems
April 2024

Psychological distress and mental illness have been shown to be among the factors most powerfully associated with problems arising in people’s lives that raise legal issues.

In Brief
How single parents experience the law in Victoria
April 2024

Single parents have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to experiencing multiple substantial legal problems.

In Brief
The Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS) Volume 2: Understanding and Capability
February 2024

Explore the knowledge, skills and attributes that are required to effectively understand and use the law.

Report
The Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS) Volume 1: Everyday Problems and Legal Need
August 2023

Explore how justiciable problems are experienced, what people do about them, and how they progress and conclude (if they conclude).

Report
PULS Technical Report
July 2023

This report is intended to act as a detailed record of the methodological approach used in delivering the PULS survey.

Report
The PULS annotated questionnaire
August 2022

The full PULS questionnaire along with commentary on the questions.

Report
No items found.

Additional information

Learn more with our information streams, topics and resources.

The PULS is a first-of-its-kind in the world and represents a significant development in this kind of research.

As an expansive and rich dataset, we can focus on the needs and capability of specific groups and characteristics to learn more about the law in people's lives.

Access the dataset and guidance on the best way to use the data.

Five Victorians share their experience of everyday legal problems, the impact on their lives, the help that was available and if the issue was resolved

Additional information

Learn more with our information streams, topics and resources.

The PULS is a first-of-its-kind in the world and represents a significant development in this kind of research.

As an expansive and rich dataset, we can focus on the needs and capability of specific groups and characteristics to learn more about the law in people's lives.

Access the dataset and guidance on the best way to use the data.

Five Victorians share their experience of everyday legal problems, the impact on their lives, the help that was available and if the issue was resolved

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Legal problems and health issues: insights from the PULS

People with physical and mental health issues fare badly at law. Responding to the evidence through effective policy and practices could make a significant difference to many people.