The South Wales Echo has been finding out exactly what some of its readers think, with its second annual State of the Nation survey.

The newspaper questioned readers on a variety of issues, including capital punishment, sport in Wales, the National Assembly, September 11 the possibility of war with Iraq.

Almost 1,000 readers took part, answering 38 questions which featured in the paper and on its icwales.co.uk website.

The results of the survey have now been collected and have been forming the basis of a series of stories in the newspaper, which will also be putting the results to the people at the centre of the issues involved.

Among the results was the finding that more than 60 per cent of readers are in favour of bringing back the death penalty for child murderers - showing definite support for a campaign launched in South Wales this year, which calls for a referendum on bringing in capital punishment for child murderers.

The survey also found, perhaps surprisingly, that seven out of 10 readers are in favour of legalising prostitution, while 85 per cent said they wanted the law changed to allow people to use cannabis for medical reasons.

When questioned about what worried them most, the Echo found that Wales continues to be a nation of people with money worries, with 46 per cent saying their main concern was money.

However, that was a reduction on last year, when six out of 10 people said money was their chief concern.

Meanwhile, when questioned on the possibility of war with Iraq, more than 60 per cent of readers said they were against British forces taking part in military action, with support for it dwindling through the age groups.

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