The poll of about 4,500 people, conducted by professors Tong Shijun and Liu Zhongyu of Shanghai-based East China Normal University from 2005 till recently, found that 31.4 percent of Chinese aged 16 and above or about 300 million are religious.

This is in sharp contrast to the official figure of 100 million, which has remained largely unchanged for years.

According to the survey, Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Christianity and Islam are the five major religions, accounting for 67.4 percent of believers.

A striking feature is the re-vitalization of traditional Chinese religions.

About 200 million people are Buddists, Taoists or worshippers of legendary figures such as the Dragon King and God of Fortune, accounting for 66.1 per cent of all believers.

Also significant is the big rise in followers of Christianity.

According to official figures, their number rose from less than 10 million in the late 1990s to 16 million in 2005; but the survey finds 12 percent of all believers, or 40 million, are Christians.

The survey also sheds light on reasons behind the religious revival.

Of the 1,361 people surveyed, 24.1 percent said religion "shows the true path of life"; and 28 percent said it "helps cure illness, avoid disasters and ensure that life is smooth".

"This kind of feeling is especially common in rural areas," Liu was quoted as saying in the latest issue of Chinese-language Oriental Outlook magazine, which published the survey.

However, Liu disagreed that religious passion is fanned by poverty. For example, many new believers in recent years are from the economically-developed coastal areas.

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