What JWS Research does

JWS Research is an Australian market and social research consultancy founded in 2010 and headquartered in Malvern, Victoria, employing 11-50 staff under Founder John Scales and Managing Director Mark Zuker. The firm delivers public opinion research, government relations and advocacy research, communications and engagement research, community opinion and satisfaction studies, policy development research, brand positioning research, and attitude and behaviour analysis to federal and state government agencies, industry associations, not-for-profits, and a small set of enterprises (e.g., Melbourne Airport). Senior researchers are hands-on across every engagement, with the firm structured around a lean director-level team.

Its core product is True Issues™, a longitudinal public opinion tracking program conducted through online surveys on representative national samples of approximately 1,000 Australians aged 18+ years, with larger samples for special studies (1,500 for the Queensland Resources Council, 3,000 for the McKinnon Poll). Companion offering Campaign Converter™ is a proprietary methodology for evaluating information and behaviour change campaigns. The firm ships continuous True Issues waves (numbered into the high 30s/low 40s across 2024-2026) and special editions on the federal budget, elections, economic reform, NDIS, social cohesion, and Royal Commission reports, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews and focus groups. JWS Research states no API, app, or programmatic platform — the offering is delivered as research reports and advisory engagements.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional services: project fees and retainers for custom research, tracking studies, and post-election surveys won via competitive tender or direct appointment with Australian government and enterprise clients. Distribution is direct B2B only, with no resellers or marketplaces. Marketing relies on thought leadership and earned media (AFR, ABC including Insiders, The Australian, The Age, Sky News) supported by a newsletter, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter. The firm holds ISO 27001:2022 certification, ISO AS2025 sector membership, ESOMAR membership, and Trust Alliance/AMSRO partnership membership.

Name

JWS Research

Legal name

JWS Research

Website

https://jwsresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JWS Research is an Australian market and social research consultancy founded in 2010 and headquartered in Malvern, Victoria, that delivers public opinion tracking, government relations research, and advocacy research for federal and state government agencies, industry associations, and enterprises across Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE), Syndicated Market Research (Panels, Omnibus, Tracker Studies) (MPAAALAB), Due Diligence & Investigative Research (BPAHALAI)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Public opinion research
• Government relations research
• Advocacy campaign research
• Social research consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Malvern

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Services Contracts: B2B research services delivered to government agencies, businesses, and organisations. Projects include custom research, tracking studies, post-election surveys, and specialised research reports. Revenue generated through project fees and retainer arrangements with clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

JWS Research is an Australian market and social research consultancy that delivers public opinion tracking, government relations research, advocacy and behaviour-change campaign research, reputation management, communications research, community satisfaction studies, policy development research, and brand positioning research. Its flagship is the True Issues™ tracking series (recurring national online surveys of ~1,000+ Australians), supplemented by the proprietary Campaign Converter™ methodology and customised project work for federal and state agencies, industry bodies and large organisations.

Product overview

JWS Research is a market research firm offering a portfolio of research services primarily for government agencies, businesses, and organizations in Australia. The core product is the True Issues public opinion tracking system, delivered as recurring survey waves (approximately quarterly) among representative national samples. Supporting service offerings include Campaign Converter™ for behavior change campaigns, government relations and advocacy research, reputation and issues management, communications and engagement research, community opinion and satisfaction programs, policy development and strategy research, brand positioning research, and attitude and behavior analysis. The firm also produces special release reports on topics such as federal budgets, elections, economic reforms, NDIS, and social cohesion. The research methodology combines quantitative online surveys with qualitative approaches including focus groups and interviews.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• True Issues: Public opinion tracking and analysis publication series by JWS Research that monitors Australian attitudes on key political, economic, and social issues.
• Campaign Converter™

Products and services

• True Issues Flagship longitudinal public opinion tracking and analysis product, conducted as online surveys among representative national samples of approximately 1,000 Australians aged 18+ per wave, with regular reports on political, economic and social issues plus special release reports on the federal budget, elections, NDIS, and social cohesion. Audience: government agencies, businesses, industry associations, media and policy stakeholders.
• Campaign Converter™ Research service that helps organisations develop information and behaviour change campaigns by generating evidence-based insights under time pressure in rapidly evolving situations. Audience: government departments, advocacy bodies and organisations running behaviour-change or information campaigns.
• Government Relations and Advocacy Research Custom research to support government relations strategy and advocacy campaigns, helping clients navigate complex policy issues and develop strategic communications paths. Audience: government agencies, industry associations, NGOs and advocacy groups.
• Reputation and Issues Management Research Research services focused on managing organisational reputation and addressing issues arising in the public domain. Audience: corporate, government and organisational clients needing stakeholder and public perception intelligence.
• Communications and Engagement Research Research to help organisations understand and improve communications effectiveness and stakeholder engagement. Audience: government, corporate and not-for-profit communications and engagement teams.
• Community Opinion and Satisfaction Customer and community satisfaction research including ongoing programs for utilities and essential services providers to meet regulatory accountability requirements. Audience: utilities, local government and essential services organisations.
• Policy Development and Strategy Research Research supporting policy development and strategic planning, helping clients test policy proposals and identify persuasive messaging. Audience: government departments, think tanks and advocacy organisations.
• Brand and Industry Positioning Research Research examining brand positioning and industry perception for business and organisational clients. Audience: corporate, industry association and enterprise clients.
• Understanding Attitudes and Behaviours Research focused on understanding consumer and community attitudes, behaviours and decision-making patterns. Audience: government, corporate and organisational clients seeking attitudinal and behavioural insight.
• Post Federal Election Survey Specialised post-election research report examining voter influences, decision timing and policy reactions following Australian federal elections. Audience: political stakeholders, media, government and policy clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered five consecutive annual customer satisfaction surveys for Lower Murray Water, with results trending upward over the five-year period.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Queensland Resources CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Post-election survey partnership examining Queensland community attitudes toward mining sector, collaboration with State Government, and competitiveness concerns. Research conducted with 1,500 Queenslanders.
• Susan McKinnon FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Partnership with the Susan McKinnon Foundation to conduct the McKinnon Poll on Australian housing landscape. Combined qualitative interviews, focus groups, and large-scale survey of 3,000 Australian adults in August 2023. Research presented to policymakers to inform thinking around housing policy and government services.
• Lower Murray WatercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Five-year customer satisfaction partnership delivering annual surveys for regulatory compliance with the Essential Services Commission. Partnership re-won competitively in tender processes each year, demonstrating sustained client satisfaction. Survey covers urban and rural communities with both online and paper-based collection methods.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Roy Morgan Research: Australia's largest dedicated market and social research firm, running the long-running Roy Morgan Poll on political and consumer sentiment. Closest direct peer given shared Australian public-opinion polling focus, B2B government and enterprise client base, and syndicated tracking series.
• Resolve Strategic: Australian strategic research firm specialising in political polling, public affairs, and communications research for government and corporate clients. Highly comparable to JWS in methodology (online tracking, policy research) and client mix (federal agencies, advocacy groups).
• Freshwater Strategy: Australian public affairs and research consultancy focused on government relations, advocacy, and stakeholder research. Comparable to JWS in serving policy think tanks, industry associations, and government clients with communications and engagement research.
• Essential Media: Australian public opinion and communications research firm running the Essential poll on political sentiment and providing research for government, corporate, and campaign clients. Directly comparable on public-opinion polling cadence and policy-facing client base.
• Painted Dog Research: Australian strategic research and insights firm focused on public policy, communications, and stakeholder research for government and not-for-profit clients. Comparable in client base (government agencies, advocacy organisations) and qualitative-quantitative methodology.

Broad incumbents

• YouGov: Global online market research and public opinion firm with a syndicated panel covering multiple markets. Comparable through True Issues™-style longitudinal political and consumer tracking, but at much larger scale and across more geographies than JWS.
• Ipsos: Global market research and public opinion firm with a substantial Australian operation. Competes with JWS for government policy research, advocacy, and brand positioning work, but offers a much broader portfolio (consulting, panels, syndicated products).
• Kantar: Global evidence-based insights and consulting firm operating in Australia across brand, communications, and public sector research. Comparable on reputation, communications research, and government advisory work, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Newspoll: Long-running Australian political and social polling brand (now under YouGov) frequently cited in mainstream media alongside JWS True Issues™. Comparable on longitudinal Australian political sentiment tracking and media visibility, though its model is syndicated polling rather than custom advocacy research.

Others

• The Research Society (TRS): Industry body representing Australian market and social research professionals, of which JWS Research is a Partner corporate member. Included as an ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor — it sets professional standards and provides certification relevant to JWS's compliance positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jwsresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jws-research

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JWS Research