The public hugely overestimates the number of asylum seekers in the UK, according to a poll to mark the start of the United Nations' Refugee Week.

It found that most people questioned believe Britain takes in nearly a quarter of the world's asylum seekers, when the true figure is less than 2%.

Young people were even less well-informed, with those aged 15 to 18 believing the UK takes in 31% of the world's refugees.

A lot of work still needs to be done to raise awareness among children about who refugees are and why they flee

Nick Hardwick, Refugee Council

The research was commissioned by a number of refugee organisations including Amnesty International, the Refugee Council, Refugee Action and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

They blamed the media for misleading the public with inaccurate and often highly emotive reporting, using words such as "tide", "swamping" and "hordes".

Leigh Danes from Refugee Action told BBC News Online: "A hysterical and frenzied debate not based on fact... perpetuates a culture of fear and suspicion."

Nick Hardwick, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "Much of the media inflames the asylum debate with emotive and vitriolic language.

"The public is clearly not being given the facts about refugees... at least some of this misunderstanding must come from the media focus on people trying to reach our shores, rather than reporting the whole spectrum of the refugee experience."

Cultural heritage

The Mori poll of more than 2,000 adults found Britons were, on the whole, nonetheless sympathetic towards asylum seekers - they were four times more likely to be positive about them than they were to be negative or hostile.

However, young people were again less welcoming, with just 19% of 15 to 18 year olds saying they would be welcoming to asylum seekers, compared with 26% of adults.

The poll was published on the day Home Secretary David Blunkett was travelling to Dover to mark the launch of a new scheme to detect illegal immigrants.

Mr Hardwick said Mr Blunkett's recently announced plan to educate the children of asylum seekers away from mainstream schools could make discrimination even worse among young people.

Public misconceptions

Most UK adults believe Britain takes about 25% of the world's refugees Those aged 15-18 believe it is 31% The real figures is less than 2%

"Clearly, a lot of work still needs to be done to raise awareness among children about who refugees are and why they flee - and we see a major solution being better integration in schools," he said.

"We call on politicians and the media to take heed of these important findings and ensure they represent all sides of the refugee story."

According to Home Office statistics, 72,430 people claimed asylum in the UK last year, but only about 20,000 were granted it.

However, the Home Office estimates that 1,000 illegal immigrants are trying to access the UK through the Channel Tunnel each week.

Refugee Week is aimed at celebrating the diverse cultural heritage that asylum seekers and refugees bring to the UK.