Only 5 per cent of people surveyed for a study of insurance fraud said they would consider inventing or inflating a claim if they could get away with it.

The Lansdowne Market Research survey suggests most people are honest with insurance claims despite a perception of widespread "compo culture" in Ireland. Some 79 per cent of respondents said they would not think of inventing or inflating a claim - and three out of four were "strongly" of this view.

Just 4 per cent of respondents said they would consider making a fraudulent claim and a further 1 per cent said they would "strongly" consider it.

In contrast, two-thirds of respondents believed people in general made fraudulent claims, and 72 per cent believed people made claims for larger amounts than they were entitled to.

The survey was commissioned by the Irish Insurance Federation ahead of its planned launch next month of a major advertising campaign aimed at combating insurance fraud.

An IIF spokesman said it "conservatively" estimated the cost of such fraud this year at €100 million. This sum excludes the cost of claims from uninsured or untraced driving accidents, the outstanding liability for which exceeds €300 million.

The survey found lawyers were perceived to be the single most important contributors to high insurance premiums.

"Insurance companies and the courts come closely behind in this respect. Claimants themselves and the Government are thought to be much less responsible," it said.

As to what should be done, the report said: "People believe that the Government is best placed to reduce legal costs associated with insurance claims."

The courts were thought to be better placed than insurance companies and lawyers to reduce such costs.