CUSTOMER STORY
The Western Australian Police Union uses data to power reform
Learn how a data-driven union listens to its members at scale, drives policy, and strengthens media campaigns.
HEADQUARTERS
Perth, Australia
COMPANY SIZE
20+
INDUSTRY
Law enforcement
USE CASE
Voice of the customer
Community engagement
OVERVIEW
Founded in 1912, the Western Australian Police Union (WAPU) represents more than 7,000 members serving in over 150 police stations across Western Australia—the world’s largest police jurisdiction. Feedback is the key to its advocacy, and SurveyMonkey makes it easy for WAPU to reach every union member, no matter their rank or geographic location. In fact, since 2012, SurveyMonkey has become a cornerstone of how WAPU amplifies voices and drives change.
90% average survey completion rate
45+ surveys
13 years as a SurveyMonkey customer
THE CHALLENGE
Giving a voice to thousands, across millions of square kilometers
WAPU’s core mission is to protect the rights, interests, and welfare of union members—and that starts with ensuring that their voices are heard. Distance and isolation create a major challenge, with many officers stationed in remote areas thousands of kilometers away from union headquarters. And the typical top-down policing structure can make rank and file members reluctant to share their views on management and work culture.
With SurveyMonkey, WAPU not only breaks down barriers to feedback, it also builds momentum for its advocacy and industrial campaigns—i.e. coordinated union efforts to improve members' working conditions, pay, or rights, which often involve government negotiations, public pressure, and member engagement. “We always want to act in the best interests of our members, so it’s very important that we stay informed on what they’re saying,” said Research Officer Matthew Payne. “Over the last nine years, I’ve conducted over 45 WAPU surveys using SurveyMonkey and it’s been a vital way to capture member opinion.”
“As a labor union, we need to faithfully represent our members and their interests. But the enormous distances between some police stations present a significant challenge. SurveyMonkey helps us bridge this gap by providing an avenue for all members to have their say on key issues.”
Matthew Payne
Research Officer
THE ANSWER
A scalable platform for trusted, anonymous insights
WAPU uses SurveyMonkey to conduct union-wide surveys on everything from workplace morale and working conditions to satisfaction with government-provided police housing. The flexible platform makes it easy for Payne to collaborate with colleagues on survey structure and questions and break down results by gender, rank, age, or union branch.
“SurveyMonkey analysis features allow us to get quite specific demographic snapshots,” Payne explained. “That makes our results much more valuable, because we can understand how sentiment varies by different groups.”
Union-wide surveys, which are typically conducted every three years, have helped WAPU spot trends over time; union branches are also empowered to request ad hoc surveys that fuel member-driven research. And because SurveyMonkey is seen as a safe, anonymous feedback platform, members feel more comfortable sharing their views, even on sensitive topics like internal culture, government actions, or mental health support.
“It’s one thing to say that police officer attrition is very high. What SurveyMonkey allowed us to do was show the exact reasons officers were leaving. That information is very powerful. It added a lot of traction as we presented our case to the government and advocated for our union members.”
Matthew Payne
Research Officer
Western Australian Police Union
THE RESULTS
Stronger representation, backed by data
Insights from SurveyMonkey have become a critical tool in WAPU’s government negotiations, media campaigns, and internal decision-making. During a recent industrial campaign, the government proposed an 11% pay raise over three years—well below what was needed to keep up with inflation. Armed with survey results that showed 94% of its members opposed the offer, WAPU was able to clearly show why it fell short and push for better terms.
Survey results also disproved a government assumption about attrition: officers weren’t leaving for higher-paying private sector jobs, but rather because of dissatisfaction with management and workplace culture. These insights were spotlighted by ABC News and other outlets and helped WAPU win support for extra shift allowances and better working conditions. “We often use our SurveyMonkey results in media campaigns to raise public awareness about the challenges faced by our members,” said Payne. “Journalists are hungry for data, and it really helps tell the story of what our members are experiencing.”
Over the years, WAPU has been able to spot trends and emerging issues. It found that the number of members who rated workplace morale as poor more than doubled between 2017 and 2022, jumping from 28% to 65%. And nine months after a former police commissioner called for a suicide prevention workshop for officers, 75% of members weren’t aware it had been held—revealing communication gaps and missed opportunities for support. In another case, WAPU uncovered that an unpopular metropolitan policing model was causing significant problems for 78% of members. The results helped convince the then-police commissioner to back an overhaul of the model, and officers saw changes within months.
“SurveyMonkey allows us to collect member opinions and understand what issues are important,” said Payne. “The results are used strategically to make a difference for all union members—and we can show members that their input can actually sway decisions.”
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