University survey shows religion is spreading in China

Three million Chinese consider themselves religious, three times more than previously estimated by the Communist government, according to the country's first major survey on faith.

The report, carried in the China Daily yesterday, said that 31.4 percent of those aged 16 and above consider themselves pious. That equates to 300 million people, and is much higher than the official figure of 100 million, the state-run newspaper said.

The poll of 4,500 people was conducted by professors Tong Shijun (童世駿) and Liu Zhongyu (劉仲宇) of the East China Normal University in Shanghai.

China's leaders allow worship only in government-monitored churches, temples and mosques. Members of unofficial congregations are frequently harassed and jailed.

Last week, critics of China's religious restrictions testified at a hearing of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, describing widespread acts of discrimination.

China five officially recognized religious groups -- Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, Roman Catholics and Protestants -- and the poll said about 200 million of the believers "are Buddhists, Taoists or worshippers of legendary figures such as the Dragon King and God of Fortune."

But the survey, also published in the Oriental Outlook magazine, pointed to a significant rise in the number of people who describe themselves as followers of Christianity.

It said 12 percent of all believers, or 40 million people, were Christians, higher than official figures. In 2005, Beijing said there were 16 million.

The survey also asked 1,361 people for the reasons behind the religious revival, and 24.1 percent said religion "shows the true path of life," while 28 percent said it "helps cure illness, avoid disasters and ensure that life is smooth."

He attributed the rise to greater freedom in China and to increased problems tied to the rapid social and economic changes in the country.