"Six in ten citizens (62 percent) overall believe that existing nuclear reactors should continue to be used, yet six in ten (59 percent) do not favour new nuclear plants being built," the survey of about 18,000 people showed.

These findings come "at a time when the nuclear power option is being vigorously pursued in the fast developing countries of Asia and being reconsidered in some European nations and the USA," said the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Only in South Korea do a majority of people support the building of new nuclear plants, said the report from the Vienna-based organsiation.

Moreover, only 29 percent of those surveyed found the IAEA inspections to be "effective," against 46 percent who said they were not. A majority of people (54 percent) also thought the risk of nuclear terrorism was "high", compared to 28 percent who said it was "low."

The IAEA is currently carrying out inspections in Iran to determine whether the country's nuclear programme is strictly peaceful or whether it has military purposes, as the United States and the European Union fear.

The poll was carried out from May to August by the American institute Globescan, in Argentina, Australia, Britain, Cameroon, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United States.

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