Nearly one-quarter of non-Catholic Christians do not believe Jesus was real, a poll suggests.

Many self-proclaimed Catholics are also sceptical about the Easter story that Jesus was a real person who died and came back to life and was the son of God, a Panelbase poll of over 1000 Scots found.

Some 14% of those who said they are Catholic said Jesus was not real, compared with 23% from the Kirk and other Christian faiths. Just 37% of Church of Scotland members said Jesus was real, rising to 67% for Catholics and 61% of other Christians.

Overall, 30% of Scots surveyed believed in Jesus, against 44% who did not and 24% who said they did not know.

One-fifth of Catholics said they are less likely to attend church following the resignation of Cardinal Keith O'Brien as leader of the Scottish Catholic church amid revelations about his private life, against 77% who said it made no difference.

Overall, 54% of those surveyed said Pope Francis should allow priests to marry, while 41% said he should be more accepting of homosexuality.

Some 61% said the Catholic church should be more tolerant of condoms, 40% believe it should be more accepting of abortion, while 63% want it to be tougher with abusers.

Older women in manual trades who live in council houses are the most likely to believe in Jesus, the poll found.

Ivor Knox, MD of Panelbase, said: "That less than one-third of Scots have been to church in the last year speaks volumes.

"There is a clear desire for religious leaders to move with the times, with only 10% of Scots feeling that the new pope should maintain traditional positions and three quarters of Roman Catholics wanting to see change."