The community perception of WA's shark issue has been revealed in a research paper the state government commissioned but never publicly released.

The 2013 report, the findings of which were provided to one media outlet in 2013 and have been referred to by the government but never made available to the public, showed the majority of respondents surveyed did not support the killing of sharks off the coast in an effort to reduce the risk of shark incidents.

It also provided insight into what West Australians thought about the risks posed by sharks and how they should be dealt with.

The document titled "Department of Fisheries Community Perceptions Research" was completed in May 2013 and has since been leaked to Sea Shepherd.

Fairfax Media has obtained a copy of the research, which was compiled by Marketforce and based its findings on responses from 768 West Australians.

Less than 20 per cent of respondents said they agreed with "culling sharks" that came near the WA coast.

More than 50 per cent of respondents said although more needed to be done about sharks, culling was not the answer.

Most respondent did not believe there was anything that could be done to increase the safety of water users from sharks.

The top response to the question "What else do you think should be done about sharks off the Western Australian coast?" was "nothing".

Other high ranking responses included "don't know," "shark nets," and "educate people".

Most respondents believed individuals were responsible for ensuring their own safety against sharks, with the state government the second most voted-for option when it came to responsibility for safety.

The survey identified increased aerial surveillance as an initiative that made more people inclined to use beaches in the metropolitan area, while in regional areas the corresponding initiative was warnings of tagged sharks from WA's shark monitoring network.

It is understood federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt was not provided with the research despite approving the operation of shark kill zones that were implemented in WA waters earlier this year.

The state government is awaiting approval for its shark kill zones program to operate for a further three years following the trial which ran for three months earlier this year.

The Environmental Protection Authority is expected to finalise its report into the proposal by early September.

The kill zones involve baited hooks on drum lines set one kilometre from shore on selected WA beaches.

Any great white, bull and tiger sharks caught on the line and measuring longer than three metres are shot dead as part of the program, designed to reduce the risk of shark attack to the public.

The program was prompted by seven deaths as a result of sharks in WA in less than four years.

The zones are part of the state government's $22 million shark hazard mitigation program which also includes a number of other features increased aerial surveillance and research into shark deterrents.

The largest portion of those surveyed said their beach use had not changed in the past couple of years - 43 per cent of respondents from the metro area and 55 per cent from regional WA.

Shark attacks were mentioned unprompted by seven percent of the Perth residents surved as one reason for visiting the beach less often - a figure identified as "significant".

But the most common reason for respondents not going to the beach as often - 33 per cent in the metropolitan area and 56 per cent in the regional area - was because of busy schedules.

The research also stated that a "significant proportion" of WA residents expected they were now more likely to encounter a shark than they were two years ago.

Forty percent of metropolitan respondents and 37 percent of regional respondents said this was the case.

Thirteen per cent of metropolitan and nine per cent of regional respondents said they swam less frequently because of the chances of encountering a shark.

This result reflected the main use of beaches in WA - 76 per cent of Perth people surveyed said the primary activity they took part in WA beaches was swimming, compared to 72 per cent of those in regional areas.

Surfers, windsurfers, kayakers, canoeists, boaters, divers and snorkelers were the respondents who used the water most frequently.

The majority of respondents said they were interested in receiving information about sharks off the WA coast such as sightings of sharks.

A spokesman for the Department of Premier and Cabinet, which deals with media queries about sharks on behalf of the Fisheries Department, said while the research was never publicly released it had been "referred to" in a public environmental review of the matter.

He said it was the seventh shark-related fatality of a person in WA in a period of less than four years that prompted the implementation of shark kill zones after the research was done.

"After the community perceptions survey was undertaken in early 2013, there was another shark fatality in Gracetown," he said.

"The Premier has said on the record countless times that the tragic death of Chris Boyd in November 2013 was the catalyst for the Government considering and enacting the drum line policy."

"Chris Boyd's death became the seventh in three and half years.  This was the fatal attack that was the catalyst for the drum line policy, and it happened after the Marketforce research was returned.

"It is wrong for the activists to say the survey was hidden. The Marketforce survey was referred to in the Public Environmental Review.

"It is important to note that the drum lines are only one part of a $22 million investment by government into shark hazard mitigation measures."

Minister Hunt has also been contacted for comment.

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