People in Wales have "little or no understanding" of what their devolved assembly does, research has found.

But voters in the region trust Welsh political leaders more than Westminster politicians.

A report published on Tuesday by the Electoral Commission also found that few people know where to find out information about the assembly .

The findings are set to add to the current debate on the powers and functions of the Welsh assembly, which are currently being reviewed by the Richard Commission.

Research conducted by the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and NOP also indicated that turn out in next year's assembly elections could remain low - in 1999 it stood at just 46 per cent.

"Low turnout is...to be explained by the widespread sense of alienation from the political process in general and a perception that the assembly is not a particularly important political forum," concluded the researchers.

"Survey data suggests that electors think assembly elections make less of a difference than general elections."

The research for the Electoral Commission suggested that non-voting was the product of unfulfilled expectations as well as a general alienation from the political process.

"This research provides important information for the commission and other stakeholders engaged in developing campaigns that promote awareness of, and engagement with, the devolved institutions and the democratic process," said commission chairman Sam Younger.

Nationalists said failures of the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition administration were responsible for generating the levels of apathy described in the report.

"It is no wonder that voter apathy in Wales is such a problem when we have an indecisive government that shows no leadership or drive," said Jocelyn Davies, Plaid Cymru's business manager in the assembly.

"The assembly must be perceived as having power, inspiration and vision. What we have seen from Labour's assembly is a lack of leadership, kowtowing to London, and Labour and Liberals here not having the guts to make decent, radical decisions especially designed for the needs of Wales."

But political leaders in Wales can take some encouragement from findings that the proportion of the electorate who trust the assembly to act in Wales' best long-term interests "at least most of the time" is far larger than the proportion who express a similar level of trust in the UK government.

The report also found that the assembly was "widely perceived as unable to effect its decisions without permission from Westminster", a finding that could boost those calling for the devolved administration to be given more powers.

The study found that 54 per cent of the electorate think the assembly ought to have the most influence on government in Wales.