Britons are wrong in their estimates of society’s demographics — from immigration and Islam to teen pregnancy rates — despite the country being awash with official statistics.
The British believe one in five of the population is Muslim while the actual figure is one in 20, an Ipsos MORI poll has found.
They think that nearly a quarter of the population are immigrants, which is almost twice the actual figure of 13 per cent. People also think that one in six of all teenage girls aged 15 to 19 gives birth each year, although the actual figure is 3 per cent.
However, Britain is one of the best informed nations on the murder rate, with nearly half the population stating correctly that it is falling.