The number of Chinese people who describe themselves as being religious is a remarkable three times higher than the official estimate. This came to light in the country's first major survey of religious beliefs.

The poll of approximately 4,500 people was carried-out from 2005 until shortly ago. It was conducted by professors Tong Shijun and Liu Zhongyu of Shanghai's East China Normal University. It found that 31.4 percent of Chinese aged 16 and above--about 300 million people-were religious.

This is in sharp contrast to the official figure of 100 million, which had remained unchanged for many years. The survey identified Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Christianity and Islam as the major religions. They account for 67.4 percent of believers.

A striking feature discovered was the re-vitalization of traditional Chinese religions. About 200 million people are Buddists, Taoists or worship legendary figures such as the Dragon King and God of Fortune. These people accounted for 66.1 percent of all believers.

Also significant was 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. The survey found 12 percent of all believers, 40 million people, were Christians.

The findings also shed light on the reasons behind the religious revival. Of 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 the Chinese-language Oriental Outlook magazine, which published the survey results.

However, Liu disagreed that religious passion was fanned by poverty as many new believers are from the economically-developed coastal areas. Liu attributed the rising interest to the religious freedom enjoyed in the country and social problems confronting the Chinese at a time of fast change.

The survey also found that more young people had joined the ranks of the religious since 2000. "This is markedly different from the previous decade when most religious believers were in their 40s or older," said Liu.

Specifically, 62 percent of the 1,435 religious believers surveyed were in the 16-39 age group and only 9.6 percent were over 55. The number of middle-aged believers surged in the late 1990s, said Liu. "They were atheist in the 1950s but they turned to religion when they became older," Liu observed.

Of those surveyed 72 percent of the religious said they were happier now than when they were non believers.

At the first world Buddhism forum in East China's Zhejiang Province last year the Chinese government acknowledged the role religion plays in building a harmonious society. "For example religious beliefs have helped cut down crime to a large extent," said Liu.

(Source: China Daily February 7, 2007)