For political parties in Northern Ireland keen to stress the benefits of devolution, the annual Northern Ireland Life and Times survey run by the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast could make distressing reading.
Some 1,800 Protestant and Catholic voters were asked what difference they felt the Stormont Executive and Assembly had made over six areas of government. In each area, more than half felt there had been no change.
In only one area, when Catholics were asked about education, did more than a quarter think there had been a change for the better.
Health should be the top priority of the devolved institutions, according to 49 per cent of those polled. This was followed by the economy (25 per cent), increasing employment opportunities (13 per cent), education (7 per cent), and the environment and transport (both 2 per cent).
Dr Rick Wilford of Queen's University said these findings were in line with surveys conducted pre-devolution but noted that the public's priorities were not mirrored in the budget.
Health was seen as the most important area of government and attracted most spending. While education came fourth on the public's list, primary and secondary education received the second-largest sum of money in the budget, while higher and further education received the third-largest.
Critics of the Belfast Agreement were quick to claim vindication from the survey's finding that in all but one area more than 75 per cent did not feel devolution improved matters.
Mr Robert McCartney said he was not surprised by the poll's findings. With no tax-raising powers and 10 government departments in place of the old six, he said, it was quite clear to people that the devolved government was mainly administrative in nature and only garnished with legislative powers.
Despite the fact that members of his party act as ministers, but do not attend cabinet meetings, Mr Ian Paisley jnr of the DUP described the survey's findings as a vote of no confidence in the structures established by Mr David Trimble and Mr John Hume.
Mr Alban Maginness of the SDLP said the survey was already out of date, and much had happened since it was conducted between last October and December. "We have finalised our first budget and programme for government and had to deal with foot-and-mouth," he said.
The survey also asked how much voters trusted ministers from the four parties in the Executive. Seventy-four per cent of Catholics said they would trust an SDLP minister, 45 per cent of Catholics said they would trust a UUP minister and only 39 per cent said they would trust a Sinn Fein minister.
Sinn Fein's Assembly Chief Whip, Mr Alex Maskie, dismissed the survey, saying it indicated nothing about future elections.
Only 7 per cent of Protestants said they would trust a Sinn Fein minister. But Mr Maskey said that, although they could not "bellow" about it, many Protestants were coming to Sinn Fein ministers again and again for help and advice and being treated with the utmost respect.
Mr Paisley was also dismissive of the survey's finding that 57 per cent of Protestants trusted a UUP minister but only 44 per cent trusted a DUP minister. He said his party was waiting for the "real poll".
Dr Wilford said the survey illustrated a lack of cross-community trust. Apart from the 45 per cent of Catholics who trusted UUP ministers, there was little support for those from different traditions.
"If anybody believed devolution would sow the seeds of growing trust this survey shows it's not as simple as that," he said.