The failed car bomb attacks on London's West End and Glasgow airport have given Islam in particular and religion in general a bad name, according to new research published by Theos, the public theology think tank.

In an opinion poll conducted since the failed attacks at the end of June, more than seven in ten people (71 per cent) said that the planned attacks had given Islam a bad name. A majority - 54 per cent - also thought that the attacks have damaged the reputation of religion in general.

Despite this, many people retain a positive view of religion in public life. Whilst 17 per cent of people said that recent events had damaged their view about the role of religion in society, 45 per cent said that they were unchanged in their belief that religion is a force for good in Britain.

Similarly, the majority of people remain positive about the nature of Islam, with nearly four times as many saying that they believe it to be fundamentally a religion of peace rather than of war - 60 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.

Surprisingly perhaps, young people are the group most likely to view Islam as a violent religion. The research by Theos found that 28 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds believe that Islam is fundamentally a religion of war which sits uneasily with modern Western culture, compared with 17 per cent of the population overall and only 13 per cent of those aged 65 and over.

Less than half of all 18 to 24-year-olds (48 per cent), meanwhile, see it as a religion of peace, compared with 60 per cent or over for every other age group.

Despite the Glasgow Airport bombing, Scots are the most positive of all regions towards Islam. Only seven per cent regard it as warlike, while 69 per cent do not.

Commenting on the results of the research, Director of Theos, Paul Woolley said: "Despite the failed car bomb attacks, 60 per cent of people believe that Islam is fundamentally a religion of peace.

"The swift condemnation of the attacks and the active stance taken by Muslim leaders against extremism has clearly helped to build confidence and national solidarity.

He said the trend that would cause the greatest alarm to Government and community groups was the fact that young people, who are generally more positive about spirituality, are so much more negative about Islam than the population as a whole.

"In terms of the future relationship between Islam and Britain, this is the most significant trend identified in the research," said Mr Woolley. "This is something that we should be concerned about if we are to foster social cohesion and avoid any 'clash of civilisations'.

"We need to build opportunities for mutual understanding and co-operation and avoid simplistic and knee-jerk reactions."