Nearly a quarter of Londoners and one in seven people nationwide believe in creationism - the theory that life on earth was created by God and has always existed in its present form.

Almost 150 years after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking work, On the Origin of Species, just 48 per cent of Londoners agreed there was enough scientific evidence to support his theory of evolution, according to a survey published today.

One in five Londoners had never even heard of Darwin and a similar number of adults in the north of England had no understanding of or had never heard of the term, “evolution”.

Overall, more than half those surveyed, 54 per cent, across Britain said it was possible both to believe in God and to hold the view that life on earth, including human life, evolved over time as a result of natural selection.

Ipsos Mori surveyed 10,000 adults across ten countries worldwide for the British Council’s Darwin Now project, commemorating the anniversary of ’Origin’ and also the 200th anniversary this year of Darwin’s birth.

Dr Fern Elsdon-Baker, head of the programme, said: “The most encouraging aspect of the survey shows that whilst there are diverse views on Darwin’s theory of evolution, there appears to a broad acceptance that science and faith do not have to be in conflict.

“Whilst the results show that there is some way to go in communicating the evidence of evolutionary theory to wider audiences, it is evident that there is clear space for dialogue.”

The British Council, Britain’s international body for cultural relations, announced the results at the World Conference of Science Journalists at Westminster Central Hall in London today.

No serious scientist disputes Darwin’s fundamental theories, although they have been expanded and developed in the light of new scientific knowledge in the last 150 years.

Darwin did not invent the concept of evolution but was the first to discover that it worked through natural selection. Scientific knowledge was not at a stage to enable him to understand the process fully but modern genetics have confirmed his discoveries and thrown up new insights.

In spite of the surprisingly large number of creationists in London, the survey showed that the majority of adults had indeed heard of Darwin and knew a little about his theory.

Adults in Britain and the US were most aware and adults in Egypt and South Africa the least aware. More than seven in ten South African adults and more than six in ten Egyptians had never heard of Darwin or his theory of evolution.

More adults in India than elsewhere said they could believe in God and evolution, with 85 per cent agreeing. Fewer than four in ten Chinese believed this possible.

Most people in Britain agreed that “enough scientific evidence exists to support Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution,” more than the overall average across all the countries surveyed of 56 percent.

Adults in the US, South Africa and India were the most likely to believe that life on earth, including human life, was created by a God and has always existed in its current form.

Nearly seven in ten adults in China, compared to four in ten in Britain, believed that life on Earth, including human life, evolved over time as a result of natural selection, in which no God played a part.