Jews are considered less likely than average to take drugs, get drunk frequently or be promiscuous, according to a survey.

The poll, by YouGov on prejudice in the UK, revealed that British Jews are well-regarded by their compatriots compared to people from other backgrounds.

More than 1,500 respondents were presented with a list of nationalities and ethnicities divided by age, sex and religious affiliation. As well as Jews, the groups included Chinese, Pakistani, black Caribbean, Australian, Polish and "whites".

The respondents were asked their opinions on each group's characteristics, including assessing positive qualities such as honesty, intelligence, politeness, and negative traits such as tendency towards violence, drunkenness or drug-taking.

Using a system of averages, the poll found that Jews were the most favourably regarded group in the country, with a score of 54.6, compared to the lowest score of 44 for "white" Britons.

Jewish women in their twenties were considered one of the least likely categories to drink frequently, while Jewish men in their sixties were thought to be among the most intelligent.

Jewish men in their twenties were thought to be especially well-behaved, regarded as one of the least likely groups to have had many sexual partners - about as many as Chinese men in their sixties, according to respondents.

Looking at the overall averages measuring positive and negative qualities, Jewish women in their forties scored the fifth highest mark, while twentysomething Jewish women and sixtysomething Jewish men also appeared in the top 10 categories.

Also highly placed were Jewish men in their forties, comfortably outscoring similarly-aged Polish and Muslim men.

But consider the poor white male in his twenties - bottom overall, and regarded by his countrymen as most likely to get drunk and sleep around.