Half of Americans believe their lives are planned by God, a new survey suggests, with only a quarter saying God hardly ever determines the course of their life.

As many as 27 per cent say God always determines what happens to them and 21 per cent say God is behind most of what happens to them, the study found.

It is part of wider research by the Washington-based Pew Research Center into what Americans believe about God.

The study questioned more than 4,700 US adults and found that while 80 per cent say they believe in God, only a slim majority (56 per cent) say they believe in the God of the Bible. A third say that while they do not believe in the God of the Bible, they do believe in some other higher power or spiritual force.

The study did not mention any Bible verses in their questions and left the interpretation of God 'as described in the Bible' down to each respondent.

'The US is in the midst of significant religious change,' the study said, pointing to research proving that Christianity is declining while the proportion with no religious affiliation is rising rapidly.

'These trends raise a variety of questions: When Americans say they do not believe in God, what are they rejecting, exactly? Is it just the number of Americans who believe in God that is changing, or are the underlying beliefs and conceptions of God changing, too? How many Americans today view God as an all- powerful being who continually intercedes in their lives, handing out punishments or rewards? And how many believe in some other kind of spiritual force (one that may, for example, be less judgmental or less active in human affairs)?'

The survey examined what Americans believe about God and found 80 per cent think God has protected them – a similar proportion who said they believe in some form of deity – while two-thirds say they have been rewarded by God. Fewer Americans see God as judgmental with just six in 10 saying God will judge all people on what they have done, and four in 10 say they have been punished by God or the spiritual force they believe is at work in the universe.

When broken down into those who believed in the God of the Bible and those who believed in some form of higher power, those who held to a 'biblical' view tend to see a more powerful, knowing, benevolent and active deity.

For instance among those who believe in the God of the Bible, 97 per cent say God loves all people compared to 69 per cent of those who believe in a higher power, 94 per cent say God knows everything compared to 53 per cent of those who believe in a higher power, and 70 per cent say he determines what happens compared to 25 per cent.