Ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections on 1 May, BBC Scotland commissioned a survey asking people for their political priorities over the next four years.
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This survey is different. Most polls ask your voting intention. They put the political parties centre stage.
Alternatively, voters might be asked to offer their opinion on a particular issue: the war, monarchy, tax, independence. There is no attempt made to balance these issues with competing demands, to confront the voters with the sort of choices which face governing parties.
Again, this survey is different. We commissioned NFO System Three to find out what the voters want - regardless of party preference.
More to the point, the respondents were urged to name their priorities.
We listed 21 policies which might be introduced by the new Scottish Parliament. The list, of course, is not remotely exhaustive.
It was drawn up by us with expert academic input and was based firmly upon the existing powers of the devolved parliament.
The list contained a selection of policies advanced by the various parties - but without sourcing those policies to the parties.
Your priorities 1. More police on the streets 2. Pay nurses more 3. More money for farming and fishing communities 4. Ensure all state schools and hospitals are built and run publicly, not privately 5. Let some 14-year-olds stop studying academic subjects and study a trade in school 6. Take tougher action against nuisance neighbours 7. Cut class sizes in primary and secondary schools 8. Phase out nuclear power stations and replace with wind and wave power 9. Change electoral system for councils to reflect better the number of seats compared to the number of votes 10. Give private firms more money to start businesses 11. Give free school meals to all schoolchildren 12. Reduce taxes on business 13. Cut number of MSPs in parliament 14. Spend more on health promotion rather than hospital treatment 15. Hold a referendum on independence for Scotland 16. Spend more on helping heroin addicts come off drugs 17. Encourage more people to live in Scotland to stop population falling 18. Phase out public funding of Catholic schools 19. Charge drivers for bringing vehicles into city centres 20. Substantially increase spending on the arts 21. Allow universities to charge students higher fees |
Those who took part in the survey were reminded that parliament would not be able to do everything at once. It would not have the money - and might not, in any case, have the will.
The challenge to voters was to name their priorities - by giving them marks out of 10 - rather than tick every single box on a wish list.
We do not pretend that this is a perfect picture of voters' desires - nor an utterly accurate guide to which party they might eventually favour.
When confronted with the downside of certain policies, they might change their allegiance. They might vote for other reasons.
But then election campaigns are not themselves perfect prisms. Voters will get incomplete views of the options on offer. Very few will read and absorb the detail of all the manifestos.
Their choice will be based upon subjective, composite impression. Quite simply, this survey indicates the policies you, the voter, might fancy.
It's your election. It doesn't belong to the political parties - or the pursuing media pack. Hopefully, this survey may help the voters to regain their authentic position at the centre of attention.
That's a pretty extensive set of caveats, I know. But then I'm intuitively cautious. I believe, however, that this survey presents an intriguing set of results.
Some surprised me, some met my expectations. I found the underlying detail to be simply fascinating.
In terms of response, think traffic lights. Some policies got a pretty clear green light from the voters. They want more bobbies on the beat - and they want them now.
 Nurses' pay is a big issue |
That policy is hugely popular with everyone - but particularly with the elderly, with Labour voters and among the lower social groups.
They want to pay nurses a lot more. That SNP policy took second top place although, arguably, alternative wordings - such as promising to enhance nurse recruitment - might have proved equally popular.
The third spot went to support for farming and fishing communities. That may surprise many people - me included.
It would appear that voters don't see these sectors as competitors lobbying for limited cash - but as core elements of Scottish society, deserving sympathy.
Some policies got an amber. Council voting reform, cutting taxes on business and free school meals each had advocates - but detractors too.
Survey facts Conducted by NFO WorldGroup 1,033 people aged 18+ Interviewed at home in 52 places Interviews conducted 26 Feb-5 March 2003 |
There's another "amber light" policy: an independence referendum. But that falls into a somewhat different category.
Rather than attracting middling support, it tended to polarise opinion. Some 22% gave it top billing - but at the other end of the scale 20% thought it should never happen.
Then the red lights - the policies voters really dislike.
Scrapping public funding for Catholic schools comes well down the league on average - although there are those who give it top billing.
Further, our survey respondents, it seems, don't want to see charges for car drivers in city centres. They don't fancy spending more on the arts.
And - the all-time stinker - they are utterly opposed to top-up fees for students. They don't want to see Scottish universities obliged to follow the English example.
 Ups and downs for the SNP |
At first glance, this survey would seem like unalloyed good news for the Scottish National Party. They promise more police on the streets and an 11% pay hike for Scottish nurses.
They favour rural aid and they're opposed to the private financing of schools and hospitals. Those are the top four policies in the mean ranking.
But there's a potential downside for the SNP too. The party's underlying core policy of boosting enterprise by cutting business tax is middling to low in voter favour.
There's also that polarising of opinion about independence. Yes, it gets top billing from 22%. That includes 15% of Labour voters.
But, against that, seven per cent of SNP voters apparently thought such a referendum should never take place.
 These are your views. This is your election. Let's see how the politicians react  |
More significantly, as well as support, the policy also attracts considerable hostility. That would appear to open the door to an aggressive Labour campaign spotlighting this issue in particular, a campaign which has already begun.
For Labour, this survey may strengthen their existing plans to promise more bobbies on the beat. There's voter interest in Jack McConnell's crusade against disruptive neighbours: that's ranked sixth.
However, Labour's use of private finance for public projects could cause problems, but then they already knew that.
The two leading parties look set for a battle over cuts in school class sizes. The issue is reasonably popular with voters - middle ranking with little overt hostility.
 Class sizes are important to voters |
But the parties see things differently. Labour would cut class sizes in maths and English in S1 and S2. The nationalists favour cutting class sizes in primaries one to three.
That policy on police could be a vote winner for the Tories too. The Tories aren't promising a special pay rise for Scottish nurses - but they insist they have plans to recruit and retain nursing staff which would meet popular concerns.
As to other distinctive Tory policies, there doesn't appear to be much response to the notion of "cutting government down to size".
The idea of cutting the number of MSPs is in the lower half of the mean ranking. However, the Tories will take comfort from two hits where voters don't want a policy.
The Tories have gone hard on opposing car congestion charging. That's universally unpopular according to our survey.
 The Tories oppose congestion charges |
In addition, university top-up fees are hated. The Tories say they back that - and would scrap the graduate endowment too.
From the LibDems? Bobbies on the beat (do you think it just possible the parties may have been conducting policy surveys too?).
They punt recruitment and retention of nurses. They say they back rural aid. Their support for wave and wind power - instead of nuclear - finds some favour, eighth in the league.
But their distinctive message of promoting positive health - rather than simply curing the sick - doesn't seem to be finding favour. Perhaps it's too early in the campaign for that to get through.
However, they'll take comfort from the findings on council voting reform. That's their price for a further coalition with Labour.
 Wind power came eighth |
In the survey, it's in the upper half of the mean ranking - with reasonably well spread support - and there's very little outright hostility to the idea. Voters, it seems, wouldn't grieve over change.
For the Scottish Socialists, opposition to private finance will be encouraging. Their eye-catching policy of free school meals gets reasonable support - but is in the lower half of the mean table.
It will be intriguing to see whether Tommy Sheridan responds to the survey's suggestion that 47% of his voters would give top billing to more police on the streets.
For the Greens, that wind and wave power policy.
But back to the main point. These are your views. This is your election. Let's see how the politicians react.
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