The survey, commissioned by American research firm Grey Matter, asked 1,000 American adults whether they feel the Christian faith generally has a positive impact, a negative impact, or no real impact on 16 different areas of society, including sexuality, poverty, business ethics, crime, the role of women in society, and how people treat the environment.

It found that 72pc believed the Christian faith has a positive impact on children being raised with good morals, while 19pc feel the faith has no real impact.

Eight percent said they believed it has a negative impact in this area.

Seventy two percent also said they thought that the Christian faith had a positive impact in the realm of helping the less fortunate, with 20pc perceive no real impact, and 8pc who feel there was a negative impact.

Fifty-two percent believe the Christian faith positively impacts keeping the United States as a strong nation.

Thirty six percent see no real impact, while 11pc believe the faith has a negative impact.

Forty-nine percent see a positive impact on the role of women in society, while 33pc perceive no real impact, and 19pc see a negative impact in this area.

Pluralities of Americans also said that Christianity had a positive impact on:

• The amount of crime in society: 45pc positive, 33pc no impact, 22pc negative
• The amount of poverty in society: 41pc positive, 36pc no impact, 23pc negative
• The amount of violence in society: 39pc positive, 34pc no impact, 27pc negative
• Differences of opinion being discussed in a civil manner: 38pc positive, 42pc no impact, 20pc negative
• Ethics in the business world: 34pc positive, 44pc no impact, 22pc negative
• Participation in politics and voting: 33pc positive, 44pc no impact, 23pc negative
• The amount of substance abuse in society: 33pc positive, 43pc no impact, 23pc negative
• How people treat the environment: 30pc positive, 54pc no impact, 15pc negative

The most negative perception is how the Christian faith impacts sexuality in society. Just 26pc feel the faith has a positive impact in this area, while 37pc see no real impact, and 37pc believe it has a negative impact.

When the 16 areas mentioned in the survey are averaged together, the findings show that 13pc of all Americans believe that Christian faith has a strongly positive impact, 29pc see a somewhat positive impact.

Thirty seven percent see no impact, 15pc perceive a somewhat negative impact, and 7pc believe the faith has a strongly negative impact on American society.