The survey of 1,500 adults and 500 children, carried out online for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! by OnePoll, found more than half of adults believe that there is alien life, while only a quarter believe in God.

Of the children polled, 26 per cent believe aliens are disguised as humans while one in 20 thought they knew an alien – and of those, one in 20 suggested their mother as the likely culprit.

In the 2011 census 59.3 per cent of the population described themselves as Christian – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were believers. A YouGov poll of 1,500 Anglican clergy this week found one in 50 priests believe God to be a human construct, while 16 per cent of priests say they are unclear on what they think about God.

Do adults believe in… (Ripley’s poll)

1. Ghosts (55 per cent)
2. Aliens (51 per cent)
3. UFOs (42 per cent)
4. Angels (27 per cent)
5. God (25 per cent)

Do children believe in… (Ripley’s poll)

1. Aliens (64 per cent)
2. Ghosts (64 per cent)
3. UFOs (50 per cent)
4. God (33 per cent)
5. Angels (27 per cent)