Almost half of people in France and Germany believe there is a fundamental clash between Islam and the values of their society, a poll has found.

Around one in two French and Germans also said they would 'mind a little' or 'mind a lot' if one of their close relatives were to marry a Muslim.

However, barely a quarter of people in either France or Germany said they were familiar with the teachings of Islam.

The YouGov survey also polled Britons and Americans with only 13 per cent of people in the UK saying they had a 'favourable' view of Islam.

Almost half of people in France and Germany believe there is a fundamental clash between Islam and the values of their society, a poll has found. Pictured: an anti-Islam demonstration in Dresden, eastern Germany, in January 2015

The poll also indicated that more than a quarter of people in Britain and Germany do not personally know any Muslims.

In the survey of more than 1,000 voters in each country, people were asked if Islam was 'generally compatible with the values of society in your country' or whether there was a 'fundamental clash' between them.

In Germany some 47 per cent chose 'fundamental clash', along with 46 per cent in France, 38 per cent in Britain and 36 per cent in the United States.

Only 20 per cent of Germans and 22 per cent of French respondents said Islam was 'generally compatible'.

YouGov's Joel Rogers de Waal said: 'Substantial portions of Western respondents in the survey perceived a clash between Islam and the values of society in their country.

'General impressions of Islam were comparatively less favourable than that of other world religions among significant numbers of Western respondents.

'For instance, all four Western samples had a discernibly higher number of respondents who felt unfavourable to Islam, compared with other religions.'

In Germany eight per cent said they had a 'very favourable' or 'fairly favourable' view of Islam, compared to 53 per cent who had an unfavourable opinion.

Some Britons and Americans expressed similar views, with only 13 per cent of people in the UK saying they had a 'favourable' view of Islam. Pictured: a mosque next to rooftops in Leeds

The numbers were similar in France where 10 per cent expressed a favourable view of Islam, with 49 per cent unfavourable.

For comparison, Christianity was seen favourably in Germany by 41 per cent to 16 per cent and in France by 35 per cent to 15 per cent, with many expressing no opinion.

Some 59 per cent in France and 63 per cent in Germany told the pollster they were either 'not very familiar' or 'not at all familiar' with Islamic teaching.

An equal number, 72 per cent in each country, said they were either 'very concerned' or 'fairly concerned' about the 'possible rise of extremism' in Islam.

Asked about their relatives marrying a Muslim, the largest single group in each country - including Britain and the U.S. - said they would not mind.

However 48 per cent of people in Germany and 47 per cent in France said they would either 'mind a lot' or 'mind a little', along with 33 per cent in the United States and 27 per cent in Britain.

When asked whether they personally knew a Muslim, 41 per cent of Americans said they did not, compared to 27 per cent in Britain, 26 per cent in Germany and 17 per cent in France.