In the US, 80 per cent believe in God, one third say He's in control. More than eight in 10 American adults believe in God but only three in 10 believe He controls what happens on Earth, and a mere one per cent believe He is a She, a poll showed yesterday.

Not all of the 82 per cent of Americans who told the Harris polling agency that they believe in God were unshakable in their belief: only 59 per cent were "absolutely certain" there is a God, while 15 per cent were somewhat certain, the survey showed.

Born-again Christians were the most likely to believe - 87 per cent, followed by Protestants taken as a whole (76 per cent), Republicans (72 per cent), southerners (69 per cent) and around two-thirds of blacks and women.

The least likely to believe in God were young and university-educated.

More than a third of degree holders and post-graduates did not believe in God, and more than four in 10 people in their mid- to late 20s were non-believers, the survey showed.

About a third of people living on the east and west coasts were also non-believers.

Nearly four in 10 Americans (38 per cent) think God is a man - probably something to do with the repetitive phrase "God the Father" in Christian rites - and almost the same number, 34 per cent, think God is neither male nor female.

Less than one per cent think He is a She and around 11 per cent think God is both male and female.

When it comes to how much control God has over what happens on Earth, 43 per cent think He merely observes what goes on but doesn't intervene, while 30 per cent think He exercises control over events on Earth.

Harris surveyed 2,303 adults online from November 2 to 11 for the poll.