Ever get the feeling the provincial Liberal government just isn't listening to you? Well, you'd be right. When it comes to public opinion research, the Campbell administration hasn't been a big spender. According to the government's public accounts records, between fiscal 2001/02 and 2003/04, the Liberals paid out $842,381 to major polling firms, with the lion's share ($362,531) going into Ipsos-Reid Corp.'s wallet. By comparison, between fiscal 1998/99 and 2000/01, the New Democrats spent $1.9 million to ask those same firms what British Columbians were thinking.

And, according to one insider, that cutback has had political consequences for the Campbell administration. "There's a lot of decision that the Liberals made and ways that they've communicated that they could have done much better, especially in the first couple years." And more polling might have helped.

But, "having said that, the NDP polled people to death and look at the good job they did. You need to listen to the polling and you need to poll in a way where you're actually getting real opinions and not just what you want to hear - which was sometimes the problem with the NDP."

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Fiscal 2003/04 payments to polling firms

Environics Research Group Ltd. - $64,000
Western Opinion Research Inc. - $63,978
Mustel Research Group Ltd. - $61,150
Ipsos-Reid Corp. - $46,070
Synovate Inc. - $43,734
Ekos Research Associates Inc. - $26,250

Total - $244,032

Fiscal 2002/03 payments to polling firms

Ipsos-Reid Corp. - $176,226
Western Opinion Research Inc. - $65,000
Environics Research Group Ltd. - $58,798
McIntyre and Mustel Research Associates Ltd. - $43,900
Synovate Inc. - $31,890

Total - $375,814

Fiscal 2001/02 payments to polling firms

Ipsos-Reid Corp. - $140,235
Environics Research Group Ltd. - $55,000
McIntyre and Mustel Research Associates Ltd. - $27,300

Total - $222,535

Fiscal 2000/01 payments to polling firms

Viewpoints Research Ltd. - $221,143
Ipsos-Reid Corp. - $141,075
Angus Reid Group Inc. - $96,245
McIntyre and Mustel Research Associates Ltd. - $34,024
Pollara Inc. - $39,500

Total - $531,987

Fiscal 1999/00 payments to polling firms

Angus Reid Group Inc. - 243,263
Viewpoints Research Ltd. - 232,930
McIntyre and Mustel Research Associates Ltd. - 93,735
Ekos Research Associates Inc. - $40,000

Total - $609,928

Fiscal 1998/99 payments to polling firms

Viewpoints Research Ltd. - $385,677
Angus Reid Group Inc. - $217,980
McIntyre and Mustel Research Associates Ltd. - $68,550
Marktrend Research Inc. - $37,748
Ekos Research Associates Inc. - $28,769

Total - $738,724