diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/static/wagtailadmin/js/view-permission-indicator.js b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/static/wagtailadmin/js/view-permission-indicator.js
index 52b7442a7..5e84e0840 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/static/wagtailadmin/js/view-permission-indicator.js
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/static/wagtailadmin/js/view-permission-indicator.js
@@ -2,7 +2,16 @@ $(function() {
     /* Interface to set view permissions from the explorer / editor */
     $('a.action-set-view-permissions').click(function() {
         ModalWorkflow({
-            'url': this.href
+            'url': this.href,
+            'responses': {
+                'setPermission': function(isPublic) {
+                    if (isPublic) {
+                        $('.view-permission-indicator').removeClass('private').addClass('public');
+                    } else {
+                        $('.view-permission-indicator').removeClass('public').addClass('private');
+                    }
+                }
+            }
         });
         return false;
     });
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/static/wagtailadmin/scss/components/view-permission-indicator.scss b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/static/wagtailadmin/scss/components/view-permission-indicator.scss
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e26eaf74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/static/wagtailadmin/scss/components/view-permission-indicator.scss
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+.view-permission-indicator {
+    &.public {
+        .label-private { display: none; }
+    }
+    &.private {
+        .label-public { display: none; }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/page_view_restrictions/set_view_restrictions_done.js b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/page_view_restrictions/set_view_restrictions_done.js
index 3ccc7e057..dafbc7b36 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/page_view_restrictions/set_view_restrictions_done.js
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/page_view_restrictions/set_view_restrictions_done.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 function(modal) {
+    modal.respond('setPermission', {% if is_public %}true{% else %}false{% endif %});
     modal.close();
 }
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_editor_css.html b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_editor_css.html
index 2e140c89c..58d7d5f17 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_editor_css.html
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_editor_css.html
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 {% compress css %}
     <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ STATIC_URL }}wagtailadmin/scss/layouts/page-editor.scss" type="text/x-scss" />
     <link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ STATIC_URL }}wagtailadmin/scss/panels/rich-text.scss" type="text/x-scss" />
+    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/x-scss" href="{{ STATIC_URL }}wagtailadmin/scss/components/view-permission-indicator.scss">
 
     {# we'll want tag-it included, for the benefit of any modals that use it, like images. #}
     {# TODO: a method of injecting these sorts of things on demand when the modal is spawned #}
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_view_permission_indicator.html b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_view_permission_indicator.html
index 030703aab..ee6a7e3b4 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_view_permission_indicator.html
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/_view_permission_indicator.html
@@ -5,17 +5,20 @@
 {% endif %}
 
 {% with page.get_view_restrictions as has_view_restrictions %}
-    {% if has_view_restrictions %}
-        {% trans 'Private' as label %}
-    {% else %}
-        {% trans 'Public' as label %}
-    {% endif %}
-
     {% if page_perms.can_set_view_restrictions %}
-        <div>
-            <a href="{% url 'wagtailadmin_pages_set_view_restrictions' page.id %}" class="button button-small action-set-view-permissions">{{ label }}</a>
+        <div class="view-permission-indicator {% if has_view_restrictions %}private{% else %}public{% endif %}">
+            <a href="{% url 'wagtailadmin_pages_set_view_restrictions' page.id %}" class="button button-small action-set-view-permissions">
+                {# labels are shown/hidden in CSS according to the 'private' / 'public' class on view-permission-indicator #}
+                <span class="label-public">{% trans 'Public' %}</span>
+                <span class="label-private">{% trans 'Private' %}</span>
+            </a>
         </div>
     {% else %}
-        <div>{{ label }}</div>
+        {# Read-only display, for users who don't have permission to set view restrictions #}
+        {% if has_view_restrictions %}
+            <div class="view-permission-indicator private"><span class="label-private">{% trans 'Private' %}</span></div>
+        {% else %}
+            <div class="view-permission-indicator public"><span class="label-public">{% trans 'Public' %}</span></div>
+        {% endif %}
     {% endif %}
 {% endwith %}
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/index.html b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/index.html
index 0f5c25f38..e9e4847dd 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/index.html
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/templates/wagtailadmin/pages/index.html
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 {% extends "wagtailadmin/base.html" %}
-{% load i18n %}
-{% load wagtailadmin_tags %}
+{% load i18n wagtailadmin_tags compress %}
 {% block titletag %}{% blocktrans with title=parent_page.title %}Exploring {{ title }}{% endblocktrans %}{% endblock %}
 {% block bodyclass %}menu-explorer page-explorer {% if ordering == 'ord' %}reordering{% endif %}{% endblock %}
 
@@ -20,6 +19,12 @@
 
 {% endblock %}
 
+{% block extra_css %}
+    {% compress css %}
+        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/x-scss" href="{{ STATIC_URL }}wagtailadmin/scss/components/view-permission-indicator.scss">
+    {% endcompress %}
+{% endblock %}
+
 {% block extra_js %}
     {% comment %} modal-workflow is required by the view restrictions interface {% endcomment %}
     <script src="{{ STATIC_URL }}wagtailadmin/js/modal-workflow.js"></script>
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/views/page_view_restrictions.py b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/views/page_view_restrictions.py
index 481ad9ae8..e36e9900d 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailadmin/views/page_view_restrictions.py
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailadmin/views/page_view_restrictions.py
@@ -39,7 +39,9 @@ def set_view_restrictions(request, page_id):
                         page=page, password = form.cleaned_data['password'])
 
             return render_modal_workflow(
-                request, None, 'wagtailadmin/page_view_restrictions/set_view_restrictions_done.js'
+                request, None, 'wagtailadmin/page_view_restrictions/set_view_restrictions_done.js', {
+                    'is_public': (form.cleaned_data['restriction_type'] == 'none')
+                }
             )
 
     else:  # request is a GET