The English and Welsh Civil and Social Justice Survey is a large-scale nationally representative household survey of people's experience of, and behaviour surrounding, civil justice problems. The survey is central to the Legal Services Commission’s efforts to discharge its statutory duty, under Section 4 of the Access to Justice Act 1999, to ‘inform itself about the need for, and the provision of’ those services it is required to ‘promote’ and ‘secure access to’ through the Community Legal Service.

The survey has been hugely influential in recent years. For example, in detailing the manner in which problems cluster, exposing and quantifying the phenomenon of ‘referral fatigue’, and highlighting barriers vulnerable people face to obtaining help about problems, the survey has been a driving force in the movement towards more integrated and client focused service delivery (for example, through Community Legal Advice Centres and Networks). The survey has also demonstrated the enormous social, health and economic cost of civil justice problems, and the relevance of legal services to general social health and economic objectives.

From 2010, the Civil and Social Justice Survey will be conducted as a panel survey. Preparation is now well underway. Fieldwork will be conducted by Ipsos-MORI.