The interactions between poly(acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propane sulphonic acid) (poly(AAm-co-AMPS)) gel with low fraction of charges and four oppositely charged surfactants, differing in structure and hydrophobicity, were studied. The variation of the gel swelling profile with surfactant concentration and structure, amount of charges on the polymer gel network and temperature was determined. The results showed that the surfactants induce profoundly different gel swelling profiles, and both the structure and hydrophobicity of the surfactants are determining factors. It was found that a change in the fraction of charges on the chains influences electrostatic interactions to a greater extent than hydrophobic gel-surfactant interactions. No significant effect of temperature in the range from 5 to 40 degrees C on the gel swelling profiles in the surfactant solutions was found.