Almost half of Irish people polled say they now have an unfavourable view of the Catholic Church.

Of those with a negative view, three-quarters cite the abuse scandals – the abuse or its cover-up – as a cause.

However, 23 per cent say their negative view is due to the Church's history and structures.

The poll, conducted for the Irish religious think tank The Iona Institute, showed that 28 per cent of those polled said they had a "very unfavourable" view of the Church, while 19 percent said their view was "mostly unfavourable."

Just eight per cent reported that their view of Catholicism was "very favourable.