Almost half of refugees in Austria think religious law is more important than that of the country in which they live, according to a study published today.

The study of 900 migrants, by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, found 40 percent of migrants thought their religion always took precedence over secular laws.

A similar percentage thought Western people were too liberal in their lifestyles and had too much freedom.

Austria has seen an influx of migrants in the last few years, many of whom entered in 2015 and early 2016 after travelling from Turkey and through the Balkans STOCK PHOTO

One in five said women should not be allowed to work, according to the survey, which was commissioned by the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

Four out of five refugees said they agreed men and women were equal but believed Muslim women should cover their heads and bodies in Austria.

Austria has seen an influx of migrants in the last few years, many of whom entered in 2015 and early 2016 after travelling from Turkey and through the Balkans. Around 90,000 applied for asylum in Austria in 2015 alone.

So far Austria has escaped the ISIS-inspired violence which has been seen in Germany, France and Belgium.

Of those surveyed, 37 percent said they wanted separated gymnastics and swimming lessons for boys and girls in schools.

Earlier this month neighbouring Switzerland won a test case in the European Court of Human Rights when it ruled that a Swiss couple of Turkish origin were not entitled to withdraw their teenage daughters from mixed swimming lessons.

Questioners interviewed 900 Syrian, Afghan, and Iraqi refugees in Austria and some of the answers may have surprised the Foreign Ministry mandarins.

Only 61 percent of the refugees considered themselves religious and only three out of 10 prayed five times a day, as required by the Koran.

One good sign is that 83 percent said they were prepared to happily coexist with other religions while 45 percent maintained Islam was superior to other religions.

Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the survey's results suggested integrating migrants into the country's mindset remained a 'major challenge.

He said: 'Refugees have not yet internalised many values.'

Austria's Foreign Minister, the youthful Sebastian Kurz (right) said integrating refugees into the country's ethical and secular principles remained a 'major challenge'

Mr Kurz, 30, said: 'If there are violations against our laws or against our basic values, we do not react with exaggerated tolerance, but show that the regulations in Austria must be strictly adhered to.'

The Austrian government is proposing a raft of new laws to speed up integration.

These will include compulsory employment for refugees, paid at the rate of one euro per hour, a ban on full-face veils such as the burka and a ban on certain aggressive Koran distribution projects.

But he admitted some of his ideas still have to be agreed to by his Social-Democratic coalition partners, who still object to a burka ban and compulsory low-wage employment.