Eighty per cent of Anglicans and two-thirds of Catholics support a cap on school places offered on the basis of religion, a new survey has revealed.

Four-fifths of voters overall oppose plans to remove the restriction, announced by the Conservatives, that means new faith schools would no longer have to offer half of places to those of a different religion or none.

The Catholic Church has refused to open new schools while the cap is in place, saying being forced to turn away Catholic pupils was against church law.

But despite the office stance, the survey by the Accord Coalition campaign group revealed most Catholics support the cap on places allocated on the basis of faith.

Jay Harman, from Humanists UK, said he was unsurprised by the results.

'Religious and non-religious people alike recognise that both children and society are best served when people from a range of different backgrounds are brought together to learn with and from one another,' he said.

The representative survey of more than 2,000 people asked whether they would prefer to keep the 50 per cent cap or to allow state-funded faith schools to select all pupils by religion.

But the question raised controversy with the Catholic Educational Service (CES) claiming it was misleading. Voters responding to the survey were told: 'Since 2010 nearly all new state-funded schools in England have been permitted to select up to half their pupils on the basis of religion, but no more than 50 per cent.'

A CES spokesman said this implies all faith schools were forced to give 50 per cent of places to pupils from other faiths when in fact the cap is only enforced when schools are over subscribed.

While 80 per cent of the population were in favour of the limit, other religious groups supported its removal.

Among Muslims 43 per cent said they wanted schools to be able to select all pupils on the basis of faith and 55 per cent of Jews agreed.